Knightfall
by Spadefire
Summary: The Xiaolin Warriors get zapped into a computer game! The only way out? Beat the game's maker. But to do that, they'll have to fight their way through steampunk beasts, evil knights and more. Come in and find out what happens! R&R! ON HIATUS.
1. Prologue

**LET IT BEGIN!**

"Oh, internet, you are my only friend," Emma said, smiling widely. She sat in her room, with Kimiko's "borrowed" laptop in her lap as is the customary position for laptops. Since, y'know, they're called laptops, so they're supposed to be on top of your lap and… anyway. Emma was supposed to be training with Master Goethe in potions, (which she was pretty bad at,) but he had gotten a cold. So, it was with glee Emma logged into her favorite RPG game, Knightfall.

**A/N: RPG stands for Role Playing Game, which is an online or real life game in which one assumes the role of a character that is premade or that they have invented, and go on adventures. Role playing games happen in every setting imaginable, from the high seas to the old west, but are often thought of as "Dungeons and Dragons" types of games, which is not true. The Sims is a good example of a RPG, just to give you an idea of what they entail. This has been Author's Note with Spadefire. We now return you to your regularly scheduled weirdness.**

Emma had never made any attempt to hide her love of online gaming, (except with My Candy Love, which she loved but embarrassed her to no end,) so she wasn't really concerned should anyone bust in to find out what had happened to Kimiko's computer. The screen flashed white, and her avatar came online, back in the field where she had last left off. Knightfall was a distinctly steampunk game, with sweet weaponry and monsters out the wazoo. Emma's character looked mostly like her, but more threatening and prettier, in a scary sort of way.

**A/N: Steampunk is a genre (of movie, book, game, etc., etc., etc.,) in which steam power has continued to evolve into futuristic technology, with a very old-fashioned feel. It's a more do-it-yourself kind of world, in which there's a little more magic in technology, whether it's in Victorian England (most commonly) or on the moon. It's also growing increasingly popular with gamers, ergo the theme for Knightfall. For more info on steampunk, Google it. :3 This has been Author's Note with Spadefire. We now return you to your regularly scheduled weirdness.**

It took place in an alternate Europe, which had a combination of old-fashioned clothes, small villages, big cities and technology imbued with magic. In the game, your character had a number of options. The eventual goal, however, was to do one of two things. Either try and defeat Knightfall- an organization dedicated to taking over the world- or join it and rise through the ranks to help with world domination. Emma, of course, had chosen to join, and was currently leading a small squad of Knightfall spies, all dressed like ninjas with wind-up keys sticking out of their backs, into a secret fort. It was tough to do in the middle of an open field, but she had been working at the game long enough to be adept at sneaking around in it. In the game, she was a Trickster Mage. Those were prized in Knightfall, since their chaos spells were great for wreaking havoc, which Emma enjoyed in any format. (You were assigned a position at the beginning of the game via a quiz and a quick test of what gaming skills you already had.) Her main weapon was a gun, though, and her avatar's clothes didn't let on to the fact that she was a specialty fighter. She was the squad leader, and was getting some pretty good incognito points, when suddenly-

With a buzz of static, the screen froze. Emma yelped in surprise before pausing and realizing that it had merely frozen up. She sighed and stood to get a soda, since there wasn't much else she could do besides sit and wait. Kimiko may have had a real knack for technology, but Emma was pretty hopeless when it came to computers. When she returned, Sprite in hand, the screen had moved from the frozen image to an option window. She moaned in frustration, figuring that it was one of those "you need to reboot now" windows that came up whenever the computer had an error, but this was not the case. Pulling the computer back onto her crossed legs, Emma squinted and read over the text in the box. It said:

_Congratulations, Miss! Due to your skill in the game, you have been chosen to beta test our newest, most immersive version of Knightfall! Simply click OK to begin your transfer process, and you will be stunned by what you find! In this real-life game, you will not have a storyline to confirm to. Instead, you will get to choose everything independently, completely void of preprogramming. Join us and test yourself like never before, in Knightfall: Luna's Covenant!_ Emma's eyes lit up. "So all those hours practicing my mad skillage paid off after all!" she exclaimed, grinning pridefully. She moved the cursor to the OK box, and one more small window popped up. _WARNING: If you choose to join us here, they will be no going back._ Emma raised an eyebrow, but shrugged; it was most likely just part of the theatrics. Programmers loved to keep the drama going, even in things like this. She hit OK again, and the screen changed once more. All the windows faded away as white engulfed the screen. Emma gulped. "Aw gee, if this downloads a new program, Kimiko's gonna kill-" she was cut off as a beam of light shot out of the computer, engulfed her, and with a bang…

She vanished.

**Ahh, it's good to be back! Hey y'all, miss me? *cricket cricket* … Love you too. Anywho, Author's Note overload, amirite? Sorry, but I'm diving into some less than mainstream stuff here, and just wanted to make sure everybody was on the down-low. *is a hipster* Awwww yeah. **

**For all my old pals, welcome back, my bros and lady-bros! For all new readers, nice to meetcha! Don't get your undies in a twist about who Emma is; the others are here too. Just hang with me and you'll see!**

**Well, I'm posting the next chapter tomorrow, seein' as this is just the prologue and all. Tune in next time, and leave a review on your way out! :D**


	2. Falling In

**Falling In**

**Ye Olde Disclaimereth: Herewith are the articles I own: Emma, this story, (from which I get nothing but reviews, and therefore childish glee,) Knightfall and all its characters forthwith, and a cat afflicted with yon retardocity. The rest is not mine. Enjoy!**

"Emma! I want my computer back!" Kimiko stuck her head into the witch's room, frowning when she saw her laptop, but no Emma. She walked in, bending down to pick it up, but noticed something odd. Next to the computer was a Sprite that was still mostly full and warm. It wasn't like Emma to stop drinking something carbonated and sugary right after opening it, and it also wasn't like her not to show up to dinner. Granted, she sometimes got wrapped up in a particularly good novel or a drawing she was working her tail off at, but otherwise, she obeyed the schedule just like everybody else. What was weirder, the computer was opened to a game site, and Emma was logged in, but the screen was frozen. Kimiko stood, glancing at the Sprite once more, and ran to get the guys.

The Xiaolin Warriors crowded around Kimiko's laptop. She had it plugged into the wall so it wouldn't lose any charge, and into her PDA so she could stream out any viruses. However, as far as she could tell, Emma had done nothing wrong. The site had just frozen, and now Kimiko couldn't turn off her laptop or reboot it at all. She could access other parts of her computer, like the apps and basic hardware, but not much else.

"I still don't see why we have to be here," Raimundo huffed, watching Kimiko feed yet another debug code into the computer.

"Emma's suddenly vanished, her Knightfall page is up and frozen, her Sprite is just opened and there are no signs of a struggle. Don't you think that's a little suspicious?" Kimiko asked, turning to face Raimundo.

The Brazilian grinned. "No, I think it's fortunate." He dodged a punch from Clay and laughed. "Besides, she coulda just walked out. You guys are blowing this out of proportion."

"No, Raimundo. Emma is many things, but she is not a traitor. Nor would she desert us without giving an explanation," Omi said, crossing his arms.

"Little fella's got a point," Clay agreed. "But still, why're we here doin' tests on Kimiko's computer when we oughta be out lookin' fer Em?"

"Because I can't shake the feeling that something is up, and that something's got something to do with this," Kimiko replied, gesturing to the screen. "There are no hacks, no bugs, no viruses, not even a glitch in the hardware or software, but something happened because of this site. I want to know why." Clay shrugged and went back to trying to strangle Rai. After a few more minutes, Kimiko called them back over. "Look at this," she said, clicking the History bar. It was all Knightfall stuff, except for the most recent entry, which was a dialog box for the site. Kimiko opened it, and the Warriors skimmed over the text.

"Okay, so she accepted some offer to beta a new game, so what?" Raimundo asked, peering over Kimiko's shoulder. "It's not like she ran off to do it at some remote testing site or anything. She would've told us…" Against his will, Raimundo could feel concern creeping in for the girl. He felt a wave of disgust and tried to ignore anything gross like compassion for the witch. That would never do.

"Hmm." Kimiko clicked OK, and raised an eyebrow at the warning. "This is weird. I'm gonna search the web for who produced Knightfall, maybe get some background info on them or…" as she talked, Omi reached up and clicked the mouse.

"You are welcome, Kimiko!" he said, drawing everyone's attention. "I have chosen the okay path!"

"Omi, we've talked about this. You only select OK if it's not weird, and this is definitely-" the words paused in the air as the same bolt of light that had hit Emma engulfed the Warriors. With a boom, they, too, were gone.

"Ugh…" The first thing Omi saw when he woke up was the sky. He considered this odd, since he was in Kimiko's room, but then remembered the strange light and how the world had spun and spun and spun… and now here he was. He slowly sat up, trying to get a grasp of where he was. He appeared to be in the middle of a lush field, which stretched out for a great distance before receding into mountains on the horizon. On the opposite side of the mountains, Omi could see a few lights flickering against the darkness that was creeping in over the sunset. He heard a few other voices, and turned to see his friends waking up as well. Rushing over to them, he checked on each one. It appeared as though, other than a little vertigo, they were all unharmed.

"Where… where are we?" Raimundo asked, rubbing his head. They all looked around, taking in the scenery.

"I think we're in Knightfall," Kimiko finally said, turning back to the other three. Upon seeing the various looks of shock and disbelief, she raised her hands defensively. "Hey, it's a solid theory! Emma accepted the beta test thing, right? And suddenly, poof, she's gone. Then Omi does the same thing, and where are we?"

"Not in China anymore, that's fer sure," Clay replied. "Ah think yer right, Kim. An' Ah think we best get to that town before dark, unless we wanna see what kinda predators this world's got." Raimundo shivered, not because of the cold night brought, but because of the idea of what the game could have. He had seen Emma play it a few times before, and the creatures here were strange amalgams of animals. He didn't want to end up on the business end of them, especially not on his first night in the game world. Clay looked over the group, reading their expressions. "So it's agreed? We'll head into town an' start lookin' fer Emma at first light?" The other three nodded, and together, they began the long walk towards the village, the first stars of the night twinkling overhead.

A dark shape watched the four teenagers heading for the town. A key jutted from it's back, and the goggles covering it's eyes gleamed reflections of the stars. It appeared to be swathed in black, with only goggles and the key showing through the cloth. In fact, it's attire and movements almost resembled a ninja. Lifting a walkie-talkie to its mouth, it rasped "Another four have appeared, in the same spot. Should I take care of them?"

Static came from the device, which was made of wood, with several cogs whirring on the outside. "No, watch their movements, as you did the first," a deep voice replied. "They may prove useful."

"Yes, my lord." And with that, the figure disappeared into night's blackness, it's only sound a gentle tick-tock, and the soft whirr of gears. The night fell back into silence before it's normal noises resumed; insects and night-creatures waking up and going about their business. However, the figure's aura lingered, and for the rest of the night, every creature in the forest was on edge. It was, needless to say, a long night.

**A/N: Oh my! *faints in a manner most ladylike* XD Hmm. So, our intrepid four have found their way into the gameworld! What wonders and oddities await them in the digitized land? You'll just have to come back to find out! Leave a review and get the ice cream of your choice, served to you by a good-lookin' waiter/waitress! (You're welcome.)**


	3. Together Again

**Together Again**

**A/N: Hey, all! Ready for the next chapter of Knightfall? Thanks to everybody who reviewed (I hope you liked your ice cream!) And to TornadoWeirdo for the suggestion. I have changed it because you're absolutely right. :D Let's get the gang back together, hmm? Onward, to Raikim and fiddles! **

The Warriors may have been in a strange world, but two things comforted them. One, Justin Beiber did not exist here. Two, they were a short walk away from a town, which hopefully held someplace to sleep. By the time they reached the town, night had almost completely fallen, and the sun was just a sliver peeking out from behind the distant mountains. However, lanterns hung at many street corners, and people still seemed to be out and about. The Warriors noticed that many were gravitating towards a larger building near the center of town, which they realized was the local inn.

"The local tavern! We can get food and shelter there," Omi said. "Perhaps that is also where we will find Emma?"

"Good thinking," Raimundo agreed, nodding. "Let's check it out." The four kids entered the inn, taking in the sparse lobby. On the far left, a clerk sat behind what looked like a check-in desk for a hotel. A few feet away, stairs led up to the two stories above the lobby, most likely to guest rooms. On the far right, people milled around, talking and laughing and funneling down another set of stairs. A sign that read Bar was next to the stairs, and old-fashioned music drifted up the stairs. "Maybe we can get some information down there," Raimundo whispered to the others, pointing at the staircase. "We could ask around and see where exactly we are, and maybe if anybody's seen Emma."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Clay said, nodding. "'Sides, Ah'm starved. Might be they got some good food in this place." Omi's stomach growled, and the smallest monk nodded his agreement.

"Okay, let's go." Kimiko led the way down, into a massive basement. The walls were made of some sort of sand-colored stone, as though the basement had been carved right out of the ground. The room was well lit by rows of light spheres on the ceiling that looked like they were magic, because they were way too bright to be fire. Along the far wall was a bar, with a few men crowded around an arm-wrestling contest. Adjacent to the bar was a stage, where a tiny band played a folk song, and people were dancing to it in the center of the room. On the edges were small tables, where couples and groups sat and talked. Overall, it was a pleasant atmosphere, and helped lessen the teenager's nerves.

"Where should we start?" murmured Raimundo, looking around the basement.

"Let's ask the bartender," Kimiko suggested. "If anybody knows who would come through here, it'd be him, right?"

"Point taken." The four weaved their way through the crowd, somehow managing to not attract much attention even though Kimiko was wearing a bright blue t-shirt and skinny jeans. (With some pretty awesome boots.) When they reached the bar, the man behind it raised an eyebrow when seeing them.

"Aren't you kids a bit young to be here at this hour?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes we are. But we're looking for-" Raimundo was cut off by the lights dimming. His attention and everyone else's was diverted to the stage, where a spotlight had come onto a man in front of the old-fashioned microphone.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Westridge Forest!" the man said. He wore a suit, and appeared to be the owner of the hotel. "And good evening to the visitors who have so graciously decided to stay here for the night! Tonight's entertainment is your favorite band, Greensand!" The audience cheered and crowded into the dance floor. "However, their violinist has taken ill and won't be able to be with us this evening." A nervous clamor rose from the crowd, and the Dragons got the distinct impression that with no violin, Greensand wouldn't perform, and the crowd might get angry.

"Luckily for us, we've found a replacement at the last second!" the man continued. The crowd's aura turned from upset to relieved, and the man smiled winningly at them. "So, get ready to enjoy tonight's musical performers. I give you… Greensand!" The crowd cheered, and the man left the stage. A band climbed up, with surprisingly modern instruments. An electric guitar hung over one man's shoulder, and another took his place at what looked like a wooden keyboard, with gears and vents jutting out. The lead singer had a regular guitar, and the replacement violinist held a normal violin. Upon seeing the violinist, however, the Warriors were shocked.

Emma stood onstage, looking a tad more fidgety than normal. The lead singer glanced at her, and she gave him a thumbs-up. He nodded and turned back to the crowd, welcoming them to the bar. However, the Warriors were too focused on the witch's sudden appearance to register what he was saying. "Well, Ah s'pose she wasn't lyin' about six years of violin lessons," Clay finally said. The other three looked at him weird, and he glared back. "What? Like none of you wondered what was in that case in her room?"

"I always figured it was a dead body or something," Raimundo replied, shrugging. Kimiko facepalmed and Omi looked horrified, but the band struck up, and the Dragons turned to watch. "

"_Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk, on a day -I-ay-I-ay, I met a little girl and we stopped to talk, of a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay. And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do? 'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue. And I knew right then, I'd be takin' a whirl, 'round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl."_ The lead singer had the crowd dancing in no time at all, a sort of twirling dance where you switched partners halfway through. Emma was doing surprisingly well, swaying with the beat herself, as though even she wanted to dance. Raimundo glanced at Kimiko and noticed that she was tapping her foot to the infectious rhythm.

"_We were halfway there when the rain came down, on a day -I-ay-I-ay. And she asked me up to her flat downtown, on a fine soft day -I-ay-I-ay. And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do? 'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue. So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl, and I lost my heart to a Galway girl." _

"Ahem." Kimiko glanced over and saw Raimundo's outstretched hand. He was blushing furiously, but was trying to hide it with one of his devil-may-care grins. "May I have this dance?"

Kimiko smiled and gave an elegant curtsy, and they joined the dancers. Clay laughed and watched them join the fray, moving along with the crowd easily. The dance was actually really easy once you stepped into it; just moving in a circle with a bit more flair and foot moves, and the spinning the other way to hand off your partner. Raimundo proved adept at it, and helped steady Kimiko when she stumbled.

"_When I woke up I was all alone, with a broken heart and a ticket home. And I ask you now, tell me what would you do? If her hair was black and her eyes were blue. I've traveled around, I've been all over this world. Boys, I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl."_

The song ended as Kimiko and Raimundo were spun to different partners. They made their way back to the bar, where Clay looked very entertained and Omi was drinking orange juice. "You lovebirds have fun out there?" Clay asked, grinning. Raimundo was about to say something smart-alecky back, but Kimiko hooked her arm through his and smiled. "As a matter of fact, we did," she replied, silencing any sass Raimundo was about to give.

"You guys!" The four turned to watch Emma bound off the stage and tackle-hug Clay, who nearly lost his balance. She jumped back, grinning. "Sorry, Clay! I'm just so excited to see you guys here!" Her happy expression faded, replaced with one of confusion and slight concern. "Say, what _are_ you guys doin' here? I mean, I'm happy you found me and all, but… how'd you even get into the game?"

"We looked into your history and Omi chose the OK button on the whole 'come beta for us!' thing. We got zapped into the middle of a field, came here and saw you playing the violin," Kimiko replied, counting each event on her hand. "So, you know. Not too hard."

"Technically, I play fiddle. But I'm glad you're all here," Emma said, beaming. "Now we can figure out how to get out of the game together!"  
"Um, yeah, about that," Raimundo said, gaining everyone's attention. "How do we get out of here?" Kimiko, Clay and Omi all began to think about it. Since arriving, they had been too focused on getting away from any nighttime creatures and into someplace dry and warm to think about getting out. However, now that they were inside, if only for the moment, the full weight of their situation began to settle. "Kim? You're a tech wiz; what do we do?" he asked.

Kimiko frowned. "I don't know! I've never been trapped in a video game before. I mean, if you guys were in here and I was on the outside, maybe I could find something- a cheat code or a hack, but otherwise…"

"Could we not just play the game?" Everyone turned to Omi, who had finished his juice.

"Whaddaya mean, little buddy?" Clay asked.

"Well, we are now part of the game, correct?" he asked, aiming the question at Kimiko. She nodded, and he continued. "So it would sit to logic that to get out of the game, we must defeat it. We could simply go through the game as normal players, and then, when we have won, we will be transported back to our own world."

The others gaped at him. "That's… actually a really good plan," Kimiko finally said. "And it just might work."

"No joke," Raimundo agreed. "And with our powers, we can breeze through!"

"Um, guys?" Everyone now turned to Emma. "I like senseless destruction as much as the next ADHD kid, but there are two problems with your idea. One, it does not involve waffles. Two, this is a video game. Specifically, Knightfall. Physics are gonna work a little differently here."

"How much is a little?" Raimundo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma frowned and scratched her head. "Um. Well, see… there's a way things work here. You get assigned a class- Artificer, Mage, and so on. Every player has one. With that class comes a certain power set- but only Elementalists control elements, and they can control all four. So if one of you got classified as that, then great, but otherwise, you're all gonna have different abilities here."

"Hey, kid!" Emma glanced back at the stage. The lead singer was back in place, having taken five after their first song. "C'mon! We need the violin for this number."

"Be right there," Emma said, then turned back to the Dragons. "Sorry. I got the gig in exchange for a free night here and breakfast."

"And we have no money," Raimundo muttered, turning out his pockets. "We'll find a way to get a room, I guess."

"Or I could just sneak you in." They all stared, slightly shocked, at Emma. She shrugged. "Well, it'd work. And, stealing or not, it's better than calling attention to ourselves, yeah?"

"… Yeah, okay. Go back to fiddling," Kimiko said, shooing her off. Emma saluted and dashed back onstage, where the next song began.

**HEY! Before you head out, drop a review and vote on who should be which classes! Here's a list of classes w/ powers and gear and stuff. In the game they're a little different than IRL. I appreciate your feedback!**

Enchanter/Enchantress: Uses mainly charms to produce false images or provoke false emotions (can be negative or positive.) Very handsome/beautiful, but not always vain. Weapon(s): a power gem set into a necklace, bracelet, etc.

Trickster Mage: **(Emma is set for this- see prologue.)** Trickster Mages use backwards magic, and are fond of pulling pranks. Weapon(s): vary with persona, but can be anything from playing cards to ray guns

Cleric/Paladin: Devout warrior, characteristics are honesty, compassion and strength. Use physical attacks rather than magic. Weapon(s): vary with persona, but are usually blunt hitting tools.

Artificer: Good with their hands, Artificers like to make/salvage found items. Not good in combat if they don't have their weapons. Weapon(s): wrenches, hammers, robots, etc., usually tools or things they've built

Elementalist: Can control all 4 elements to a small degree. Slightly monastic; in sync with nature. Only half decent at physical attacks and usually rely on magic. Weapon(s): elemental magic

Hunstman/Huntress: Excellent trackers, good at surviving in the wilderness. Better at shooting from a distance than hand-to-hand combat. Weapon(s): bow and arrow

Healer: Can use healing magic to keep teammates on their feet, good at physical combat but has no magic other than healing. Kind to their friends and occasionally cruel to their enemies, Healers are great for teams. Weapon(s): bonesaw, can heal themselves in battle


	4. You Only Live Once

**You Only Live Once**

**A/N: Hiya! Thanks to the **_**TWO**_** (lovely) **_**PEOPLE**_** for voting; you're how I got this up so fast! :D Also thanks to TheXGrayXLady for the advice on description. (I tried to do better in this chapter, so… tell me how I did!) Finally, the Warriors get to set off on their epic quest to get the heck outta there. Er, more or less. Enjoy!**

YE OLDE NEXT DAY…

_"- 15 miles to the LOOOOOVE SHACK!"_

"Will you shut up?" Kimiko hissed at Emma, who made a face but stopped singing. "We're trying to blend in here!" The four teenagers and Omi (whose age will go unsaid but is somewhere below 13) had just left the hotel. It was earlier than they normally got up, so that they could sneak out of the inn before anybody noticed that four extra kids had snuck into a room through an open window. While they felt bad about not being able to pay for their stay, it beat sleeping outside and possibly getting eaten/mauled/attacked by pirates. And with her act the night before, Emma had actually managed to make a little cash, so they could buy breakfast. Kimiko, however, had insisted that if they wanted to remain unnoticed, they would have to start by ditching their real-world clothes for outfits that fit in with the game world. Which leads us to them going to the nearest clothes store. Emma, having played the game for a long time, knew the lay of the land better than anyone else, and could name where they were and where they'd find clothes.

"Here we go," Emma said, pointing to a small building. "Westridge is the first town you get to in each game, y'know, as a starting point. This is where you get your class outfit and stuff. You gotta take a test, and then the lady inside tells you what your class is and sets you up with clothes and weaponry."

"Great!" Raimundo said, grinning. "This'll be a piece of cake." They entered the small shack, blinking in the dim light. Shelves lined with knickknacks ran along the walls, and in the center of the room was an old woman at a table. The table was bare, save for a crystal ball. The woman was stooped and weathered, and her clothes looked like she was a Gypsy. She didn't bother to look up as the Warriors entered her shop and walked up to the table, waiting expectantly. After a few minutes, she had yet to say anything, or even notice them. Raimundo turned to Emma questioningly, but she just shrugged and motioned to the old woman. Raimundo sighed and turned back to talk to the lady- who was no longer there. The others glanced around before realizing that she had reappeared at the back of the room. She stood next to a curtain, which she swept back and revealed another, larger room behind.

"Ooh. It's different in this game," Emma said cheerfully, heading for the door. She paused to curtsy to the old woman before going through, and the others did the same, bowing and curtsying respectively. The room behind it was filled with big, human-sized capsules lining both walls. The capsules looked baroque and antique, with dials and gauges and wires running out of them, steam pumping through tubes that lead out of the building. It felt as though any minute, steam-powered robots would spring out of them and attack, but the capsules lay still, and the only sounds they made were the faint hiss of steam and the hum of gears.

"Listen to me now." The old woman's voice was so abrupt that everyone jumped in surprise before turning to listen to her. She remained by the door, her eyes dark glints that searched their faces. Her voice had a rasp to it that suggested English was not her first language, though she spoke it almost flawlessly. "You choose whichever one pulls at your heart. You will know it when you feel it. Once you find yours, press the button and it will open your heart." Emma was going to remark on how the new game really _was_ different, but she felt like it wasn't her place to speak, so she remained silent. The five split up and began examining the capsules. Each had a sign on it, and underneath something was written in a language that looked kind of like Arabic.

Omi found his first. He felt a sort of tug in the back of his mind, and as he approached the first capsule, it grew into a shove. The emblem on the capsule showed a caduceus in the middle of a circle. He recognized it as the symbol for healing, and the shove grew. He pressed the red button on the right side of the capsule, and it opened with a hiss. Cautiously, he stepped inside, and the door slid shut behind him.

The others weren't so quick to find theirs. Raimundo was almost at the end of the wall when he felt the tug. He followed down to the second-to last capsule, which had an arrow in a circle. Grinning, he pressed the button and stepped in with no degree of hesitation. Kimiko watched, her nervousness flaring up. What happened inside those capsules? What if it was a trap? Neither boy had come out. Of course, Emma had seemed to trust the old woman, but Emma was insane. Still… it couldn't hurt to at least try. Suddenly, she felt as though she was being pulled to the capsule opposite Raimundo's by an invisible string. It couldn't move her, but still it tugged, so she followed it. The emblem on her capsule was simply a diamond inside a circle, but she knew it was hers, so she pressed the button. The hatch slid open, and with curiosity overcoming fear, she stepped inside.

Emma knew at once where hers was; third from last on the left side, just two down from Raimundo's. The symbol on her capsule was a jester's hat inside a circle. She opened the hatch, flashed Clay a smile and hopped in. The Texan paused to chuckle at her, then continued methodically going down the rows. He had seen a lot of different signs; a fist clutching a hammer, a sword, a wand, even a ying-yang symbol. Though none had touched his mind like they had with the others, he liked drinking in the strange design of the capsules. They were almost egg-shaped, and several feet taller than he was, scratching the ceiling. Wires connected them to the walls and to each other, and each had a steam vent that fed to the roof. They were all copper-colored, and green around their rivets and edges, but they still seemed to be working perfectly. Besides, he knew that if they really were in a computer game (and his doubts were quickly subsiding) then they'd all work perfectly. When he finally made it to his, he was a little bit surprised at the symbol. It was a simple cross, inside a circle like all the others. He was a Christian, sure, but what did it mean? "Only one way to find out," he said to himself, opening the door and stepping in.

On the inside, the capsules were quite a bit smaller than on the outside, though they were significantly warmer. The walls were curved, like the outside, but in here they were painted white. A drawer slid open on its own on Clay's right, and he pulled out its contents. Boots, a long coat and some kind of armor. There was also a helmet, but he decided to keep his hat. Changing into the clothes he'd been given, he studied himself in the mirror that had unraveled in front of him. The coat was a deep red, with shoulder pads on the outside and padding inside the elbows. On the shoulder pads, his class symbol had been engraved in white. The ends of the sleeves had a yellow border, as did the end of the coat. Underneath it he wore the black shirt and chest plate, (light brown, like the other armor pieces,) which had been part of the armor, as well as the knee guards. There had also been metal things that had fit around his boots, which he assumed were also armor. When he was finished examining his outfit, he turned to go. But then a panel opened up on his left, (opposite where the drawer had been) and inside was a huge mallet. It matched him for height, and had a thick handle. The head was made of iron or something, but when he pulled it out, he found it to be well-weighted. Designs in green and gold spiraled up the black handle, and a cross was engraved in white on either side of the head. Then the door opened, and Clay stepped out to greet his friends.

Raimundo was just stepping out of his capsule as well. He wore a brown leather vest, the coarse kind. Goggles had been pulled up to rest on his forehead, like Jack's, but instead of spirals they had crosshairs on them. A red bandana was tied around his neck, like Clay's before he had changed, and a quiver bristling with brown-feathered arrows was slung across his back. The strap was a black streak over his plain white shirt, and an arrow was on the breast pocket of his vest. His brown pants were tucked into black combat boots, the same shade as the fingerless gloves he wore. A bow was gripped in one hand, and though it looked like it was made out of a kind of wood, several wires ran along its length. He walked over to Clay, grinning broadly. "Hey, Clay! Awesome costumes, huh?"

"Ah'll say. Neat weaponry, too." Raimundo was about to reply when Omi walked out of his capsule. His clothes consisted of what looked like a white lab coat, but made of a thicker material, and with a hood. A red caduceus ran up his right sleeve and was the same shade as the sash across his waist that pulled the coat closed. Under it was a gray tunic and black pants. A sheath hung from his waist, and as he ran up to the older boys they realized it held a small dagger. Between the three of them, his clothes were the simplest.

"Raimundo! Clay! Is this technology most amazing or which?" Omi asked, almost bouncing with excitement.

"It's 'or what,' and yeah, it's pretty amazing," Raimundo replied, grin never fading. "Figures that the girls are taking forever, though. Just like women to-" he was cut off by a shoe hitting him in the back of the head.

"I'll have you know, the only reason I wasn't out here sooner is because my jacket zipper got stuck," Emma said, dashing over to retrieve her shoe before Raimundo could grab it and start a game of keep-away. Her outfit, in contrast to the muted sepias throughout the boys' clothing, was bright. Her thick hair was mostly hidden underneath a jester's cap with bells on the end, but her bangs spilled out. Where they normally would have brushed the tops of her glasses, they touched nothing; her glasses were missing. The cap's twin ends fell to the middle of her back, the right tail was black and the left tail was yellow. She wore a black jumper with three yellow stars where the right breast pocket would've been. Underneath, she had yellow-and-white striped tights, and chunky black combat boots. A utility bag was slung across her hips, and a gun holster hung on the other side, forming an X with their straps. Both were black with the same triangle of stars on each. She grinned at the boys and twirled around, landing neatly. "Whaddaya think?"

"I think it's the first time I've ever seen you in anything remotely skirt-like," Raimundo said, grinning. "And where are your glasses, anyway? Don't you go all Velma without 'em?"

Emma stuck her tongue out at him. "I do _not_. Besides, I don't need them in the game." She then turned to Clay and Omi. "Well, you guys all look great," she chirped, spreading out her arms. "No surprises as to your classes, but where's Kimiko?"

"Over here!" Kimiko walked up behind Emma, joining the group. She wore a white dress that shimmered as she moved. A gray underbust-like corset was buttoned around her waist. A gauzy red scarf was tied around her waist, and the same material wrapped around the back of the dress, starting underneath her corset. The dress fell to just above her ankles, and her shoes were the same color red as her scarf. White, fingerless elbow gloves and a golden tiara, inset with a gleaming red gemstone, completed the regal look. Raimundo turned red and glanced away, suddenly in the middle of a terrible coughing fit. Emma laughed and Kimiko couldn't contain her smile. "So, what's next?" Kimiko asked the Irish girl.

"Now's about time we get our first quest," Emma replied, tugging on the ends of her cap. "In the other game, you had to go find some flowers for a herbalist. It was mostly "here's how you move around and use your weapons" stuff, so it'll probably be more of the same. We just wander around until somebody comes up to us and says-"

"HELP!" The scream came from the front of the house, and the kids ran back through the curtain and outside. Blinking in the sudden sunlight, they could make out people running around everywhere in a frenzy. Clay stopped a man from tripping over Omi and steadied him. "Woah, there! What's goin' on out here, fella?" The man, still at a loss for breath from running around screaming, pointed to the village entrance. The kids turned to look as well, their eyes going wide at what they saw. A huge mechanical beast, like a bear with a boar's head, was lumbering into town. Steam flew from vents behind its head and it's nostrils, and it's metal claws left holes in the ground wherever it stepped. In all, the beast was about seven feet long and six feet tall when on all fours, but when it reared up on it's hind legs, it was almost eleven feet tall.

"So, think this is our quest?" Raimundo asked dryly. Emma gulped, nodding. The Brazilian sighed, then reached for his bow and strung an arrow. "#YOLO. Let's do it."

**Oh gosh. Um. Kimiko's was not… accurately… described… but I tried. Man, I need a deviantArt account so I can show you guys what I'm trying to say. Leave a review on your way out and get a free fortune in the next chapter! :D**


	5. Maybe We Need Fight Music

**Maybe We Need Fight Music**

**A/N: Well, I gotta say, I'm hurt. I actually like this story, and I think it's coming along pretty nicely. I was hoping more people would tune in. Oh, well. Whatcha gonna do, right? Here's the fortune I promised.  
TheXGrayXLady: You have much potential for financial success. (From a real fortune cookie I got just for you. Also, have fun at prom!)**

The mechanical beast reared up on its hind legs and gave a great, metallic bellow. Then it dropped back down onto all fours, whirling around to face the Warriors. It snorted and pawed the ground, steam flying from the vents behind its legs. "It's gonna charge!" Clay yelled, recognizing the signs from the bulls at his farm. "Split up!" The five kids ran in different directions, and the bull paused, trying to decide which one to go after. Finally, it settled on Raimundo, who was still the closest. Pawing the ground again, it charged, gears churning inside it. Raimundo turned, yanking down his goggles and pulling an arrow into his bow. He let it fly, and it hit the bull right between the eyes. Instead of a normal arrowhead, however, it had a small disc that attached itself to the bear-boar's head. It skidded to a halt, just feet short of hitting Raimundo, who scrambled out of the way. The beast's glowing red eyes tried to focus on the arrow stuck between its horns, when the arrow gave a high-pitched beep and exploded. The machine reeled back, momentarily knocked off balance.

"Emma, keep it distracted! Clay, hit it hard and hit it fast!" Raimundo yelled, stringing another arrow. "Kimiko, Omi, get the villagers out of the way!" He figured that, since he didn't know what Kimiko and Omi's powers were yet, they would be most helpful as damage control until he knew what they could do. The Americans nodded and went after the beast, which had crashed into a hay cart and was beginning to regain its balance. Emma leapt into the air, pulling out her gun- an old-fashioned looking ray gun, painted black with silver dials- and shot at the beast's head. Instead of bullets, however, white-hot energy shot from the gun, searing the monster's metal hide. It roared and turned to glare at her as she landed, but was broadsided by Clay's mallet. It skidded back, but wasn't knocked over.

"Jeez! How do you kill this thing?" Emma asked, shooting at it's back. "Maybe we need fight music." It turned and charged at her, but she jumped again. Except this time, she landed on it's back. "AAAAAH!" The girl flailed around trying to get a handhold before she was thrown off and trampled. Finally, she caught the vent behind its left leg and hung on for dear life. "Don't shoot, don't shoot!" she screamed, grabbing the vent behind its right leg as well. Raimundo lowered his bow, trying to think of ways to get the witch off of the machine without killing her.

"Over here, ugly!" He looked over in surprise to see Kimiko facing the beast. She flipped her hair and glared at the mechanical menace, which made it stop running for a moment. Emma slid off and ran away as fast as she could, pausing for breath only when she was well away from the machine. "Bring it on," Kimiko snarled, shifting into an attack position.

"Kim, don't do anything stupid! You don't have you powers here!" Raimundo yelled, feeling his stomach plummet. If she got hurt in the game, she might not be okay in the real world.

"I've got this," she called back, her eyes never breaking contact with the monster's. It got into charging position, slowly this time, as though it saw Kimiko as more of a threat. Everyone else had fallen silent, watching the girl and the bear-boar. After what seemed like an eon, but was only a few seconds, the beast gave a roar and charged forward, steam surging out of it's vents. Kimiko remained where she was, not blinking. Raimundo was frozen to the spot, watching in fear as the beast came closer and closer to where Kimiko stood. It was ten feet away, then five, then three, then one-

And it passed right through Kimiko and into a brick wall. Kimiko flickered, then disappeared, and Raimundo let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The real Kimiko stepped out from behind a stall, going over to poke at the remains of the beast. It had crumpled on impact with the wall, so that it's head and forelegs were smoldering piles of scrap. The villagers cautiously made their ways out, cheering when they saw what had happened to the monster. The Xiaolin Warriors ran back to greet each other, grinning and exchanging high-fives. Raimundo hugged Kimiko, keeping his hands on her shoulders when he let go. "Don't scare me like that, Kim," he said. Though he was grinning, Kimiko could hear the shakiness he was just barely concealing.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, hugging him back. "Next time I'll tell you what I'm doing."

"Good." They parted and glanced at the other three. Clay was grinning from ear to ear, Emma was making a gag face and Omi looked pleasantly confused. Then another round of cheers came from the villagers, and the Warriors turned to accept the praise. A man walked up, wearing a suit, and the kids realized he was the owner of the hotel they'd stayed in. In the daylight, they could get a better look at him. He had long gray hair pulled into a ponytail and a black beard that was going gray. His suit was black and pinstriped, and a pocket watch hung from his jacket. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance, (except that he looked a little like a hipster,) but he seemed to be the man in charge, since all the other villagers deferred to him.

"Thank you so much for ridding us of the beast," he said, smiling and shaking their hands.

"Um, no problem," Raimundo replied. "What was that thing, anyway?"

The man's face turned dark. "That was one of the Mechanical Menagerie. They are the products of Knightfall's inventors. The inventors steal the spirits of animals and put their essences into their foul machinery. We call them the gearbeasts."

"That is awful!" Omi cried. "Has no one tried to stop them?"

"Many brave people have come to our village saying they were going to try and stop Knightfall, but none have returned," the man said. "We're thankful for your help, but I must ask that you go no further. It's dangerous out there, and you're not likely to survive."

"Thanks, Mister, uh…"

"Barnaby Umbra, at your service!" he said, bowing grandly. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm the mayor of Westridge."

"Not in the other games, he's not," muttered Emma, but nobody paid her any attention.

"Well, thanks for your hospitality, sir, but we need to go confront these Knightfall people," Raimundo said firmly. "We're trained, so we probably have a better shot at this than everyone else."

The man looked like he was about to argue, but then sighed and nodded. "Well, all right. Just be careful out there!" Raimundo nodded and shook the man's hand again.

"Thanks again, Mr. Umbra. C'mon, guys, let's get going." The Warriors set out, with the villagers waving goodbye and wishing them good luck. However, on a rooftop overshadowed by a taller building, a familiar figure watched the five leave the village. The key in it's back slowly rotated, tick-tocking in time with the gears in it's back. It lifted a walkie-talkie to it's face.

"Master, do you want me to continue following them?"

"Yes. Wait until they reach the canyon to set another gearbeast on them. And this time, make sure there are no witnesses. Let's see just how good this batch is before killing them off."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

"Okay, so what next?" Raimundo asked. Half an hour out of the town and they still had no idea where they were going. Everyone turned to Emma, who had been fishing through her bag. She paused, then continued to walk so as not to be left behind.

"Well, this game's deviated from the other Knightfall games a lot. I can't promise anything, but since we beat quest 1, we'll probably have to go on another, harder quest. In the old games it varied, of course, but it was all centered around an important plot point. So… I guess we'll know it when we see it," she said, shrugging. Then she pulled out a thick chocolate bar and grinned. "Yum!"

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Well, that tells us almost nothing."

Emma glared and spoke through her candy bar. "Hey, thish game ish weawwy dif'went! Ish nah my faul'."

Clay laughed. "She's got a point. There ain't much she can do 'sides point us in the right direction an' hope fer th' best."

Emma swallowed. "Exactly. Thank you, Clay."

"Yer welcome. Still, we need a startin' point. Are there any patterns in the earlier games? If there's a template they follow, that could give us a good idea of what to do," he replied. Emma frowned and wrapped up her chocolate, putting it back in her bag.

"Um, lemme think here." She was silent for a few more moments, before snapping her fingers and grinning. "Got it! In every game, the storyline is different, but there are always these clues that have something to do with playing cards! The clues pop up as you go, so if you're looking, you can find them pretty easily."

"Playing cards?" Omi asked, glancing over at her. "You mean like the cards we use for Go Fish, or tarot cards?"

"The Go Fish kind," Emma replied. "Though some of the characters in earlier games were actually modeled after tarot cards, like bosses or people who would help get you through quests. They don't use it too often anymore. However, since they're kinda choose-your-own-adventure games, you can choose to use a deck of cards and do a reading. It's not real or anything, and I didn't use it often, but it's fun if it doesn't matter which way you go."

Omi nodded. "I see. Would that make this a sign, then?" Everybody else stopped walking, staring in the direction Omi pointed. They had been walking down a simple dirt road, surrounded by a field on either side. In the distance, mountains loomed, a deep purple against the cloudless blue of the sky. Now, however, they could see that there was a fork in the road. A signpost stood between the diverging paths, and they ran up to read it. "I realize it is more literal than what you were talking about, but it will serve its purpose anyway, yes?" Omi asked.

"Yep!" They reached the sign, looking over it. It was a simple signpost, made of wood, with several pointers sticking out and pointing down each path. To the left side, the pointers read Shadowmire Swamp, The East Ocean and Flood City. To the right side, the pointers read Drought Canyon and Gear Factory. A pointer made of a different kind of wood had also been attached, with something scrawled on it. The kids recognized the language as being the same writing that was on the capsules in the Gypsy woman's house.

"So… what do we do now?" Kimiko asked.

"Heck if I know," Emma replied, shrugging. "Maybe we should ask for directions."

"What, go all the way back to the village and ask?" Raimundo said, crossing his arms.

"I was talkin' about over there," Emma said, pointing. Behind them, on the left side of the field, was a tall, gray tower made of stone in the middle of a clump of trees.

"Wow. How'd we miss that?" Clay muttered.

"Let's see if anyone's home," Kimiko said, starting off. The others followed, treading through the tall grass. The tower was shorter than most of the trees surrounding it, but the trees were very tall, blocking out most of the sunlight. The noises of insects and the occasionally bird from the field suddenly ceased at soon as the five has stepped into the small grove. "Tower that appears the heck out of nowhere and is probably haunted," Raimundo murmured. "I blame Emma."

"If we get to meet a ghost, I will take a heapin' helpin' of blame, thanks," she hissed, glaring at him. He returned the glare and it looked like they were going to start fighting, when Clay grabbed Emma and Kimiko grabbed Raimundo and pulled them away from each other.

"Easy now," Clay said, gently steering Emma in the other direction. "Let's not start a screamin' match, alright?"

"He started it," Emma huffed, but stayed quiet. When they reached the tower, everyone circled the base, but there was no door to be found. In fact, the only entrance was a window at the top of the tower. "Maybe nobody's home," Emma finally said after looking for any other way to get in.

"Or maybe we just aren't welcome," Kimiko said, rubbing her arms. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"Pfft! C'mon, you guys, it's obvious what needs to be done here," Raimundo said, rolling his eyes. He strode to the base of the tower underneath the window and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Clay rolled his eyes. "Like that's gonna-"

"Hello?" The voice of a young woman interrupted him, and Raimundo turned around to give Clay his 'toldja-so' face. Then he turned back to the tower and called up again. "Is anyone in there?"

"Yes! Oh, thank goodness! I was afraid no one would ever come!" The speaker appeared in the window, staring down at the five kids. She had blonde hair, but it was only shoulder-length, and her outfit was almost exactly the same as Kimiko's, except the gauzy-scarf parts were pink, and her gemstone was a pink one on a necklace. She waved down to the Warriors. "Hello! Are you players from the real world as well?"

"Yep, that's us!" Raimundo replied. "You too, huh? How'd you get stuck up there?"

"A quest gone wrong," the girl sighed. "One minute I've climbed up here to get a broom for a witch, and the next, the door's locked and I'm stuck! Can you help me get down?"

"Uh, yeah, sure! Just give us a second to figure out how!" Raimundo called. Then he turned to the others and pulled them into a huddle. "Emma, is this our next quest?"

"Could be," she replied, "though since she said she's from the real world too, it might just be a chance to get some experience in here."

"I'll take it. Any suggestions on getting her down?"

"Human ladder!"

"Shut up, Emma."

"Your mom."

"Hey, maybe if we tied a rope to one of your arrows and ya aimed right under the window, she could zipline down." Everyone turned to Clay, who shrugged. "Just sayin'…"

"That's a great idea!" Kimiko said, smiling. "Raimundo, do you have any arrows that don't explode?"

"I wasn't aware the first one did explode," Raimundo replied, pulling off his quiver and looking through. "Hmm. Here, this one won't explode," he said, puling out an arrow with a normal tip. "Probably. Clay, do you mind?"

Clay reached under his hat and pulled out his lasso, handing it to Raimundo. "Not at all."

"You have _hammerspace_ inside your _hat_?" Emma cried, looking as though Clay had just told them that he was Captain America. **(Which actually would have made her pass out… but my point remains!) **"No wonder you love it so much!"

"… Hammerspace?"

"Hush, now. Raimundo, save the lady!" she yelled, turning to face the tower. Clay looked as though he was about to say something else, but then changed his mind and watched.

"Stand back, miss!" Raimundo called, stringing the arrow through his bow. The girl left the window, and Raimundo pulled down his goggles. He let the arrow loose, and it lodged in the stone directly under her window. "Okay! We're gonna tie the end to a tree down here! Grab whatever you can use up there and zip line down when I say we're ready!"

"Okay!" Several minutes later, after an argument as to whether or not the trees were going to rip off their faces for tying a rope to them, the lasso had been secured and Raimundo gave the girl the okay. She slung a ripped-off piece of the gauzy stuff from her dress across the rope and zip lined down. However, she let go when she was only halfway down, landing in Raimundo's arms. He looked thoroughly confused and she seemed rather pleased with herself. Emma moved a little closer to Kimiko in case she needed to stop her from clawing the girl's eyes out. "Ah, what'd you say your name was, again?" Raimundo asked.

"Oh, I didn't. Thanks for saving me," she said, batting her eyelashes. "Are you five on your way to Flood City?"

"If it's where the Knightfall headquarters are, then yes," Kimiko said, shooting Raimundo a 'drop-that-ho-before-I-drop-you' look. He took the hint and set down the girl, who seemed insulted but did nothing other than a hair flip.

"Well, you would be going in the wrong direction, then," she sneered, her annoyance directed only at Kimiko. "It's past Drought Canyon. The Gear Factory is where they make their gearbeasts, duh."

"Great well thanks we'll be goin' now bye," Emma said, grabbing Kimiko by the arm and dragging her out. Raimundo followed, calling out an apology to Kimiko. "Ma'am," Clay said, tipping his hat and following them out. Omi bowed and left behind Clay. The girl watched them leave, then pulled a small, rectangular object from behind her back. It had several buttons and a speaker, and when she pressed a blue button, the trees flickered, then disappeared. She held down a black button and held the device to her mouth.

"I've sent them towards you. Will you and the rest of the ambush party be ready by the time they get to you?"

"We're ready now. The gearbeast in Westridge was supposed to get rid of them."

"Well, one of them is the last chosen one. It's no surprise that they're doing so well."

"I suppose it isn't, but it'll take more than a chosen one to get through us. Suit up and get down here."

"Ugh, fine, fine. Knight of Hearts, out."

**Hammerspace is… you know when a cartoon character reaches behind their back and pulls something out, even though they have no carrying device, or even pockets? That is hammerspace. Review or I set Emma loose in your home while doped up on chocolate. You really, **_**really**_** don't want that.**


	6. The Plural Of Ninja Is Ninja

**The Plural Of Ninja Is Ninja**

**A/N: Review response time! ;D**

**Marukaite Chikyuu Doitsu****: NOD AT THE BIRD AND PEOPLE DIE, EVERYWHERE PEOPLE DIE. Gotta love Tobuscus! XD And my goal was **_**not**_** to make Omi look like Ezio, I promise, but I can see the comparison. His hood is down, though, and he's meant to look more like a field medic than anything else. Also, I heart all your reviews and Toby's Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Literal Trailer is so their theme song now. Also **_**also**_**, I now want to make an Avengers/Xiaolin Showdown crossover, you diabolical fiend.**

**Emma: *****pulls out sword***** Let the white cracker samurai-ing begin!**

**TheXGrayXLady: Thanks ya muchly! :D Glad you liked the Raikim and the gearbeast. More is to come! Spoiler alert, though; the mysterious clockwork ninja is one of many. Since the plural of ninja is ninja… *shot* I'm thrilled that you like him/her/it, though! **

"_Stargate, Ubisoft, Edward!_ I mean, uh, _sparkle!_"

"A white matrix picks a date, then faaaaades."

"_And people say Rome wasn't built in a daaaaaayyyyy-AH!_"

"The birds get the heck out of there-"

"_'Cause they know something's going down!_"

Kimiko groaned and rubbed her temples. The song had been entertaining the first time Emma has sung it, and hilarious after Raimundo joined in. But after an hour of walking to an unknown destination with little food and no water, it had lost it's charm. Now she was ready to strangle the both of them, and she could only assume Clay and Omi were as well.

"Whassa matter, Kimiko?" Raimundo asked, grinning broadly. "We're not annoying you, are we?"

"Of course you're not," Kimiko said through gritted teeth, smiling poisonously. "You two passed annoying the fifth time you sang it."

"Success!" Emma cried, high-fiving Raimundo.

The two launched back into the song, making Kimiko groan again, covering her ears. Omi did the same, and Clay pulled at the brim of his hat. Then he paused, almost making Omi walk into him. "Wait. Y'all hear that?" he asked.

"Mysterious hooded man watches-"

"_From a distance!_"

"Take a second to look awesome."

"_Time to go!_"

"Walk in slow motion so you still look awesome-"

"Hear anything over those two?" Kimiko growled, glancing back at them. "Not likely. This is worse then when they're trying to kill each other."

"Guys, hush up fer a second an' lissen." Emma and Raimundo obediently shut up and glanced around. The Warriors had come to a rocky area after the fork in the road. The field turned to hills, sloping gently at first but soon turning rocky and steep. They weren't in the mountains yet, and according to Emma, would be making a sharp right soon so as to avoid going through them and getting lost. However, the rocks were rising up even taller on ether side of the path, to where it felt that the path had been cut out of the hill. Trees that grew from the sides of the rocks provided occasional shade from the sun and heat, both of which were growing harsher as they neared the desert. However, dark clouds were growing on the horizon, looming closer with each passing minute. The Warriors remained silent, glancing around.

"I do not hear anything," Omi finally said. "Perhaps you were imagining things."

"No, that's just it," Clay murmured. "There oughta be some noise. Birds, bugs, anythin'. No noise means somethin' got the animals spooked."

"Maybe that somethin' still does," Raimundo hissed. "Now that I think about it, this would be a great place for an-"

"AMBUSH!" Figures leapt from the tops of the rocks, landing almost silently around the Warriors. They were all completely covered in black cloth, with green goggles and keys protruding from their backs. The facelessness, silence and the fact that they all looked exactly the same was enough to creep everybody out. Also, they had the five completely surrounded.

"As Raimundo would say, we just got possessed," Omi sighed.

"I really hope you mean owned," Emma said, glancing from Omi to the clockwork ninja. "I don't know how to exorcise."

"We can tell," Raimundo said, grinning.

"If they don't kill you, I will," she snarled. Raimundo was about to reply when another figure jumped out, landing in front of Kimiko. He wore silver armor with a blue diamond on his chest plate. The rest of his armor was nondescript; silver gauntlets, boots and chain mail. His helmet's visor was down, only darkness visible behind the slits. He had a goatee, which the only hair not covered by his helmet, but his plume was the same color as the diamond on his armor. Two long chains hung like lassos at his sides, and his gloves were reinforced. Dark clouds were forming behind him, giving his stance dramatic flair. He glanced at the group, all of them back-to-back and in fighting stances.

"My, my, my. What a motley crew," he said, smiling. "Sometimes it's just too easy."

Emma groaned. "Oh, not this guy."

The knight glanced at her, frowning. "Have we met?"

"Everyone, meet the Knight of Diamonds, one of the bosses in the old games," Emma said, ignoring the man's glare. "Complete jerk. Kinda like that Edward impersonator* we fought, except he can actually use those," she continued, nodding at the chains.

The knight's frown deepened. "No, really, do I know you, sir?"

Emma's face flashed through a variety of emotions, mainly along the lines of rage and disbelief, and then settled on rage. "AWRIGHT, THIS DIRTBAG'S GOIN' DOWN!" she roared.

"Dirtbag? I beg to differ. I'm actually quite gallant and-" Emma's boot in his face prevented him from going on, and the fight began. The clockwork ninja pounced, but the Dragons were ready. "Wudai Orion Formation!" they yelled, and the ninja were tossed back like ragdolls. The four separated, still glowing their respective colors and still ready to kick butt.

"Wudai Crater, Earth!" Clay yelled, hitting the ground with his mallet. It opened from underneath a dozen ninja, swallowing them up to their necks. He was about to do it again when a ninja latched onto his back, not letting go no matter how much he pulled.

"Wudai Mars, Fire!" A blast of heat seared the ninja's back, and it dropped to the ground. Kimiko dropped next to it, yanking out the key. "If you pull out the keys or stab them through the chest, they stop working."

"So… they're robots?" Clay asked, eyes widening.

"Yeah. Behind you!" Clay ducked and Kimiko sent a stream of fire at the three ninja that had been sneaking up behind him. "Thanks," he said, snapping his fingers and sending the ninja he had just buried under completely. Raimundo whizzed by, stirring up a tornado. The naturally-occurring storm clouds that were already there helped provide momentum for him. A massive amount of ninja were swept up, unable to move around anything in midair. Omi stood in the center, sending ice shards into them. Not all the shards hit the ninja in the chest, so a few pulled out shuriken and began throwing them at him. Concentration broken, he had to jump away from the shuriken. However, once he feet stopped touching the ground he was whisked into the tornado as well.

"Help would be nice!" he yelled as the vortex spun faster and faster. Raimundo noticed, skidding to a halt in midair. The tornado faded, and everything in it dropped to the ground. Several of the ninja stood, ice shards through arms or legs, but even the injured shambled forward. "Wudai Neptune, Water!" he cried, water coming from nowhere and sweeping over the ninja. They were washed into the clutches of a waiting Raimundo, who flew over them and yanked out their keys. However, Omi hadn't noticed a ninja sneaking up behind him.

"_**Lightningboltlightningbolt.**_" A streak of white flashed from the clouds and hit the ninja, frying it's circuits and rendering it into a smoking, half-melted lump of metal. Emma jumped over Omi, landing somewhat neatly back-to-back with him. "I gotcha covered!" she said, striking a pose.

"I thought you were fighting the Knight of Diamonds," Omi said, forming more ice shards.

"Yeah, well, I was, but in the midst of getting my butt kicked I remembered that he's really powerful and I'm not. So I kinda ran away. _**Lightningboltlightningbolt!**_" Another lightning bolt split the sky, zapping three approaching ninja. "Kimiko's fighting him now, I think."

"Ah. If you would move to the left-?" Emma sidestepped, and a Omi sent a torrent of water at a group of ninja, freezing all of them. "Thank you."

"No prob. Oh, look, Kimiko's winning!" They stopped fighting for a moment to watch Kimiko battle the knight. Fire shot out from under her, propelling her into the air and away from the chains. One wrapped around her ankle, and she twisted, pulling the knight into the sky. For a moment, he lost control, and it looked like Kimiko was going to win- then he yanked on his end and sent her tumbling. He landed neatly, but Kimiko had gotten caught up in the chain and was too tangled to catch herself. Then, in a blur, the knight coiled the rest of the chain around her, wrapped the other chain around his belt loop and threw her over his shoulder. "Of course, winning is a relative term…"

"We've got the one we needed! Let's move!" the knight yelled, leaping over the rock he had jumped out from, and just like that, he was gone. The ninja that hadn't been trashed suddenly froze up, then turned and scrambled over the sides of the pass. They had all disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared, and with Kimiko in tow.

"No!" Raimundo yelled. Wind surged from beneath him, and he shot into the air, scanning the surrounding area. However, there was no sign of the knight or the ninjas. It was as if they had vanished into thin air, and though Raimundo flew over the area again and again, but to no avail. Finally, he landed, his Orion form fading away with his hope. "I can't find her," he said, his voice hoarse from screaming her name. "They're all just… gone."

"Of course they are." The boys turned to look at Emma, who had finished the candy bar she'd been eating earlier. She now sat cross-legged on the ground. "They're ninja, dude. What'd you expect?"

"To get out of here with Kimiko!" he yelled, the clouds above them seething with unspent rain. "Not for her to get kidnapped!"

"Don't yell at me," Emma said, standing. "Just 'cause you're mad at Knightfall for stealing her doesn't mean you can be mean to the rest of us."

Raimundo took a deep breath, and then nodded. "Yeah, okay. Sorry. So what now?"

"You tell us. You're th' leader," Clay replied. Raimundo nodded again, mind racing.

"He said that they had the one they needed, so that means that she's probably still fine, right?" The others nodded encouragingly, and Raimundo continued. "Right. So, we can conclude that they're holding her somewhere, 'cause they need her for… whatever it is they need her for."

"Not just somewhere- their hindquarters," Omi said.

"Headquarters"

"Oh, yes. Their headquarters, where we were going anyway. So we should just continue the way we were going," Omi finished, smiling.

"Great idea, little buddy," Clay said, leaning on his mallet. "Just through the desert, then Raimundo can play knight in shinin' armor fer Kimiko. Right, Rai?"

"I think she's had enough of knights lately," Raimundo muttered, though his face was tinged with red.

"D'aww, he misses his lady already," Emma sang, skipping past. "Desert ho!"

* * *

Kimiko wanted to protest being carried like she was a sack of potatoes and not a young woman with an IQ to rival Jack Spicer. However, complaining was difficult when she didn't even know who was carrying her so rudely, where she was being taken or who- or what- she was being taken to. Also, the chain was itchy. Luckily for her, she knew the tactics of someone who was very good at getting a raise out of people, and hopefully, using those tactics would get the attention of whoever was hauling her across the desert.

_"Stargate, Ubisoft, sparkle!" _After the fifth rendition of the song, er captor had gotten mad enough to stop, toss her onto the ground and pull off her blindfold. She was in a narrow tunnel, dimly lit by torches and filled with the smell of mildew. That much explained why she hadn't heard the wonderful noises of her boyfriend beating people up for her. The Knight of Diamonds stood over her, and what she could see of his face was the same as what she assumed her face looked like when Emma and Raimundo decided to be annoying. Which was almost always.

"What. Is. Your. Problem?" he asked, his voice carefully measured. She could hear the pent-up fury behind it, though. 'Emma was right,' she thought, 'he is like Chance.'

"Oh, I was just using covert military tactics that give me mind control to make you stop," she replied, keeping a straight face. He paused, and she had to try very hard to keep from laughing. "So, before I have to mind-control you again, where are you taking me?"

"Knightfall HQ," he replied, crossing his arms. "You've caused a lot of trouble for us."

"Trouble? What, like taking down your Gearbeast and saving that town you took over and coming to beat you all and get back to reality? That trouble?" she asked, beaming. "Why, yes I have."

"See, the trouble with reality is that it's too hard to get power." The man knelt down and pulled off his helmet, smiling poisonously at Kimiko. He had short, dark brown hair and eyes the same color, but they had something hidden behind them. A kind of anger, or resentment. The fact that it was so well-hidden scared Kimiko more than if he had yelled at her outright. "And that is why I came in here. Because power was just a step away."

"Wait- you came in of your own free will?" she asked, mind racing to put the pieces together. If he wasn't part of the game…

The man's expression turned to confusion, and he stood up straight again. "Of course. The beta test thing. That's how you got in, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Be quiet!" Kimiko jumped, surprised at the outburst, but when he pulled a strange walkie-talkie from his belt she realized it wasn't because he was angry with her. "Yes, my lord?" he asked, his tone suddenly servile. "Of course. Yes, I retrieved her, just as you said. The others are still alive, but they still need to go through Flood City to get here. Well, yes sir, they could cut through the desert, but… no, sir. No one's ever survived Drought Canyon. Yes, she's unharmed. She'll be ready for presentation by dinner. Yes, sir. Of course. Knight of Diamonds, out." He tucked the device back into his belt and looked down at Kimiko. "Well, we're right on time. Get ready to see Knightfall!"

"Um, okay, but could I walk this time? Being carried is really uncomfortable with this dress," Kimiko said. The man tilted his head, then shrugged. "Yeah, sure. These tunnels are rigged to collapse if you make a move to get free, so it's not like you can do anything anyway." He untied her, looping the chain through his belt. "Keep going forward." Kimiko began walking, hoping that the others were doing better than she was.

**Okay, I'm sorry for taking forever and a day with this, but I have been vacationing in the boonies. My family lives even father out in the country than I do, which means no interwebs. I also went to Panama during Hurricane Debby, so that was fun. -_- If you liked it, drop me a review, even if it's a little one. They all matter to me! If you didn't like it, well… haters gonna hate. :)**


	7. So Much For Room Service

**So Much For Room Service**

**A/N: Hey, lads and lassies! Thanks for the lovely reviews last chapter- they're what got me updating this so fast- and now that we're moving on, I'd like to apologize for something. I reread the last chapter and realized that after I said they wouldn't have their powers, I gave the Dragons their powers. -_- My bad. Just pretend like they're an exception to the rule, since they're the Xiaolin Dragons. We cool? We cool. Also, more steampunking and gearbeasts and mystery people for your viewing pleasure! (Not gonna lie, I am ****really**** proud of this chapter.) :D Enjoy!**

The desert sun beamed down harshly upon the four figures trudging across the sand. Their new clothes and shoes, comfortable though they had been, were growing itchy as sand invaded them. The hot wind whipped sand against their faces, and Raimundo found that he couldn't do much to stop it. No matter how much wind he diverted, more swept in, so eventually he gave up. His goggles helped keep the sand from getting into his eyes, but the others were not nearly so fortunate. "Are we there yet?" Omi moaned, wiping his forehead. "I am tired and thirsty and I do not want to walk anymore."

"Come on, Omi, we're gettin' there," Clay said, trying not to let on how tired he was. "Em, any idea how far along we is?"

"N-none," she gasped. "It's all new terrain t'me." Raimundo groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

"If we don't find some shelter soon, we'll be toast," he said. "Really well-done toast."

"Nooooo! I don't wanna be toast! I wanna be a waffle!" Emma cried, dropping to her knees. "Toast sucks!"

"Either she's suffering from the heat or she's just being weird again," Raimundo muttered. "Emma, get up, none of us will carry you."

"Clay will!" she yelled, falling onto her face. "Clay will because he is my best friend and I love him thiiiiiiiis much," she slurred, holding out her arms. Then she started making sand angels.

"Th-that's th' heat talkin'," Clay said quickly, turning red. "Ah ain't carryin' anybody." She stood, albeit shakily, and glared at him.

"You suck! You suck worse than toast!" she yelled, pointing in his general direction. "Just stomp on my heart, why don't you?"

"Do we have any water left?" Raimundo asked. Omi pulled a canteen from his backpack and held it out. "Thanks." Raimundo walked over to Emma, opened the canteen and splashed her in the face. She blinked, water dripping from the ends of her cap.

"… Guys? Why are we still in the desert?" she asked. "I thought we got out of here and beat Amon and saved all the other benders and me and Bolin got to make o- er, um, h-hi."

"Who's Bolin?" Clay asked. Omi pulled the canteen away from Raimundo's hands, glaring at him. "Raimundo! Unless I am in my Orion form I cannot create water in this heat! And without Kimiko we cannot do the Orion formation so I cannot create water so this is all we have so _don't throw it at Emma's face!_"

"No, really, who's Bolin?"

"Okay, okay, sorry. Good news is the freak's back to normal-" here he had to pause so he could duck a punch aimed at his face- "- and nobody has to carry her and we can keep going."

Emma was about to reply with a kick to his shins when a strange noise stopped her. Everyone paused to listen. It was a whirring noise, with synchronized clicks. "What is that?" Omi asked, looking around. Sand dunes rose up around them, and they had yet to encounter anything else.

"Waitaminnit!" Everyone turned to Clay, who had realized something. "Ah know that sound from back home! It's a-"

"SCORPION!" No one knew who had screamed it (Raimundo later claimed it had been Omi, who insisted it was Emma, who said it was Rai,) but the four were frozen as the beast lumbered over the nearest sand dune. It, too, was a gearbeast, and under it's armor they could see springs and cogs working overtime. It looked much like a normal scorpion, but ten feet long and made of a brown metal. It's eyes glowed like the bear-boar's had, and it's pincers were lined with steel. Pale green leaked from around rivets in the plates along it's back and tail, and on it's back plate, six vents spouted steam. The vents started tall near it's head and shrunk towards it's tail, but each produced a thick trail of steam. It had six legs as well, each moving with a measured fluidity. It's tail was jointed, each joint having a plate on it, like it's back, but with no vents. A tube of vivid green liquid was strung under the joints, attaching from it's belly to the stinger on the end of it's tail. The stinger was actually a large needle attached to a metal sphere on the end of it's tail. The fluid dripped from the needle, hissing on contact with the sand. It was generating the whirring sound from it's steam engine, and the clicks were from the gears in it's legs moving across the sand.

"Move!" Raimundo yelled as the stinger swung forward, nearly catching Omi in the face. The boy ducked just in time and the stinger missed, but the scorpion used the momentum to lunge forward and grab Clay's boot. The Texan shouted in alarm as his foot was pulled out from under him and he was swept up, dangling upside-down in midair. "H-hey! A little help?" he yelled, holding onto his hat as the scorpion swung him around.

"Round one!" Emma called, yanking her ray gun free from its holster. She leapt into the air, closing an eye and shooting. She hit one of the steam vents, bending it but not breaking it. More steam rushed out, making Clay cough as he was swung into the scalding gas for a moment. "Ah! Sorry!" she called, landing unsteadily on the sand.

"Omi, jump!" Raimundo yelled. Omi nodded, running towards Rai, then jumping into the boy's hands. He pushed Omi off, launching the boy right on the scorpion's back. Omi grabbed onto one of the steam vents, wincing as the hot metal made contact with his bare skin. "Pull it off!" Raimundo called. Omi yanked as hard as he could, but it wouldn't give.

"It will not come off!" Omi replied, hanging on as the scorpion veered around, trying to shake him off.

"Ah'm gonna be sick!" Clay yelled, and indeed he was beginning to turn pale. Raimundo looked around, spotting Clay's mallet. He had dropped it when the scorpion had picked him up. "Emma, get the mallet and get rid of the scorpion's claws! Omi, get those vents plugged up! I'll get Clay!" The two others nodded and went to work. Emma ran to his mallet, picking it up with surprising ease and pivoting to face the scorpion.

"Round two, ugly." She jumped forward again, right as the scorpion swung it's free claw towards her. In midair, she pulled the mallet around and hit the claw with a crash. The claw was almost completely ruined, but the arm still functioned. So did the tail, which jabbed at her from above. Dodging, she swung the mallet at it, but had horrible aim. The stinger retracted, but the arm continued to flail, nearly tossing her into the nearest dune. Emma latched onto the arm, sliding down before it could try to spin her around. She jammed the handle of the mallet into the place where the arm connected to the body, pushing down. With a painful screech, the arm began to peel off. She stopped before it was completely gone, knowing that it would be useless since she had managed to ruin most of it. The scorpion continued to scuttle around, now just trying to get the kids off it's back.

Omi was hard at work as well. He had pulled his dagger free, prying pieces off of the plates on the scorpion's back and jamming them in the vents. It was hard work with the gearbeast jerking him around and him trying to dodge the stinger, but he managed to clog the first three pipes, not counting the bent one. Once Emma got on the back, he abandoned his job to lend her a hand getting across the scorpion's back so she could jam the other arm. Raimundo had been waiting, gathering as much wind as he could. Finally, when the scorpion was moving towards him, he yelled "Hang on!" and sent it barreling at the machine. Though the gearbeast was incredibly heavy, the wind had been stored up long enough to sweep under it and push it up, forcing it to balance on it's tail to avoid falling over. With the scorpion immobilized for the moment, Emma took the opportunity and slammed the mallet into the scorpion's good arm. With a clang and the dying of gears, it split in two and sent Clay falling. However, Raimundo was ready for that too, and pulled the wind back just in time to cushion Clay's fall. The cowboy stood up, still pale but angry. The scorpion fell back onto it's six legs, and Omi jumped off. Emma followed, falling more than anything else but still managing to get clear of the gearbeast.

"Here," she panted, running up to Clay and handing him his mallet. "Finish it off!"

"Gladly," he replied, tugging down the brim of his hat. The others stepped back, and Clay swung the mallet over his head. Then, with a resounding boom, the mallet met the ground and sent a wave of sand up and over the beast, getting into it's gears and clogging up it's last two vents. The scorpion staggered forward, it's gears and cogs churning against the sand. They could hear a high-pitched whine as the steam pressure built up inside, the scorpion's body expanding to accommodate the pressure. "She's gonna blow!" Raimundo yelled, diving for cover. Omi did the same, and Emma ran the opposite way. At the last second, however, the scorpion lurched to the right, it's stinger slashing through the air and heading straight for the witch.

"LOOK OUT!" Something rammed into Emma right as the scorpion exploded, sending her tumbling into the sand. She slid a few feet down the dune, but other than some sand in her eyes, she was unharmed. She stood shakily, still a little scared but mostly relieved. Turning around, she could make out the heap of rubble that had once been the gearbeast, it's stinger still twitching. As the cloud of sand died down, she could see Raimundo and Omi standing and coughing on the other side of the debris, mostly unharmed save a few bruises and cuts. Clay stood where she had been, still a silhouette in the sand cloud.

"H-hey, y'all okay?" she asked, surprised at how her voice was quivering. 'Man, I'm shook up! I must've gotten hit or something,' she thought, looking down at herself. She couldn't see any big wounds, nor could she feel any. Raimundo and Omi called back, affirming that they were fine, just sore. The sand finally settled down, and she looked around. She stopped when she saw Clay. He hadn't moved, and was mostly intact… except for a huge gash across his chest. It didn't appear to be deep, but it was big, cutting across diagonally from his shoulder to mid-torso. The green liquid that had been in the stinger leaked from the wound, along with a small amount of blood. He looked up at Emma, his expression absolutely devastated. He stayed completely still, then spoke.

"Ah'm sorry." Then, with no warning, he collapsed. Emma screamed, running to his side. Raimundo and Omi were there just as quickly, turning him over to get a good look at his wound. Raimundo hissed in through his teeth when he saw it, and Omi went white. "Omi, you've got that backpack full of medical supplies, use it," Raimundo said, pulling Omi from his shock.

"O-oh, yes, of course," Omi said, shaking his head to clear it. He pulled off his little brown backpack, taking out bandages and small vials of cream and strangely colored liquid. He first wiped off the wound with a cloth; the green liquid hissing as it touched the fabric, then poured a purple fluid over it. Clay seized up, gasping in pain but keeping his eyes squeezed shut. Raimundo watched in fascination and confusion as Omi moved expertly, squeezing a white cream from a tube onto bandages and smoothing them over Clay's gash. The Texan trembled, making it hard to lift him. "The potion will stop the poison from getting any deeper, and the cream will prevent it from getting infected," Omi explained as Raimundo lifted up Clay so Omi could wrap more bandages around his chest. Emma just sat there, hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. Raimundo reflected that, even if she was traumatized and Clay was critically injured, at least she wasn't talking. That was a plus.

Then they heard more sounds over the horizon, whirring and clicking like the gears of the scorpion. "Oh no," Raimundo said, standing. "Not again!" Figures appeared over the dune the scorpion had come from, but these were people. There were three of them, clad in brown clothes reminiscent of Indian garb. The one in front wore only black robes, but his clothes were much like the others' in design. They rode lizard-like gearbeasts, only a foot above the ground. Each gearbeast had a flat back, on which a rug had been draped for comfort, and a head that looked just like a thorny lizards'. Their legs moved like normal lizards' as well, allowing them to move very quickly, but provided a smooth enough ride for the people on board. In place of a tail, each had a pole reaching up to branch out into a parasol. The rider would be shielded from the sun, get a smooth ride and, thanks to a small panel on the back of the lizard's head, have precise control of the lizard's functions. A steam vent branched out from the pole that formed the parasol, and each lizard was producing a small cloud of steam, even standing still. For a moment, the riders and the Warriors regarded each other, judging, gauging, until Emma staggered to her feet.

"Please," she said, her voice still halfway thick with tears, "please, our friend is hurt. We need help." The rider in black stood and dismounted, looking over the Warriors before pulling down the hood that covered everything but their eyes. The three kids gasped, even more surprised than they had been yet, even with everything that had been thrown at them, and for one reason only. Meeting new characters in the game was fine- expected even. But they knew this one.

"What are you losers doing here?" Jack Spicer sneered.

* * *

The Knightfall headquarters was impressive. At least, that's what Kimiko assumed. She really couldn't tell, since she'd been pushed around almost as soon as she had gotten in. She and the Knight of Diamonds had gone down the last little bit of the corridor, then up a long staircase. The smell of decay had faded, and she had been ushered into a huge hall lined with jade pillars. Green lanterns hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room with an eerie light. When she glanced behind her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of gold reflecting the light of the green lanterns. The knight had led her through the room quickly, as though he didn't want her to get a good look at it, then through a side door into another small corridor. This one was made of wood, and when they passed a window she could see the sea crashing against cliffs under the castle. There were a few other doors along the hall, but they didn't enter any until they reached the end. The knight pushed open the door and gestured for Kimiko to go in. When she entered, she was surprised to see, not a dungeon or a cage, but a spa of sorts. A bamboo screen stood in one corner next to a dresser, and a small tub filled with water and bubbles was in the center of the room. A lounge chair and a stack of towels were next to the washtub, facing away from the door. Two girls were in the room as well, one kneeling by the washtub and the other by a vanity across from the door, sifting through a jewelry box.

"This is the last beta," the knight said, confusing Kimiko again. "You are to get her ready for presentation to King. You have one hour." With that, he slammed the door shut, locking it behind him. Kimiko waited until his heavy footsteps had faded to turn and talk to the girls. When she did, she was surprised to see the girls staring at the floor, as though they were scared of her.

"So much for room service, huh?" she asked, trying to make them smile. But all they did was furtively glance up for a moment. "Hey, it's okay, I'm not like that jerk out there. I'm on your side, I promise!" The smaller girl glanced up, something akin to hope in her eyes.

"Are you really?" she asked, an English accent prominent as she spoke. The other girl nudged her, shaking her head. Kimiko smiled and nodded, holding out her arms to show where the chain had left red marks on her skin.

"I was dragged here against my will! Unless they start offering free cell service, or at least a decent mani-pedi, I'm set against them." The girl giggled, and the taller one glanced at Kimiko suspiciously. The small girl had mousy brown hair pulled into a braid, pale skin dotted with freckles, brown eyes, and wore a simple brown dress. The other girl had hair and skin a shade darker, but her eyes were the same, as was her dress.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I'm Autumn, and this is my sister Lydia. She's a mute, so she was one of the first targets after King took over." Kimiko frowned in confusion.

"Targets?" Lydia moved her hands too swiftly for Kimiko to understand what she was doing, but Autumn seemed to understand. "Oh, right. Lydia just reminded me that since you're a beta, you don't understand our history."

"I don't even know what a beta _is_. Well, I know what it is in my world, just now what it means in this one." Lydia took Kimiko's hand and motioned to the washtub, and Autumn nodded.

"We'll tell you everything you need to know, miss, but first we need to begin getting you cleaned up," she said. "After all, we only have an hour, and King must be impressed." Kimiko changed behind the screen and, after she had put on a one-piece bathing suit, got into the tub. The warm water felt good against her feet, which ached from all the walking. Lydia began to wash her hair as Autumn explained about what had happened to herself and her sister.

"Lydia and I were from a small fishing village near Flood City, so we didn't really know much about the invasion. We still don't, except from what we've figured out ourselves. Flood City had the big ports, of course, but that scared most of the fish away, so we supplied them with the fish that lived only near our village. It was good trade, and if you were lucky enough, you could marry one of the boys that worked on the boats. Lydia was going to marry the boy she'd had a crush on for years, Daniel, one of our finest fishermen." Lydia turned red, making Kimiko and Autumn laugh. Then Autumn's expression turned somber, and she continued. "But when King invaded, he took control of everything, including all trade. Our village elders- each village has from one to three, to help maintain balance, and they all meet yearly to discuss business and such- well, they didn't want to sell their boats and supplies to King. They knew he would just underpay the fishermen and overprice the fish. King, of course, didn't like that, so he sent some of those horrible robots to sabotage our boats. However, we've been fishing for a long time, and we know to check the boats every morning before setting sail. All the sabotage was discovered, and for a while, we thought we'd won."

Autumn was quiet for a moment, and Kimiko worried that she'd upset the girl too much. Then she shook her head and continued, her voice steadier than Kimiko thought it would be. "King wouldn't accept that, though. He sent the Knight of Clubs to destroy our village. But he came with a compromise- if our village sold out, he would leave us in peace. The elders didn't agree until too late. He wrecked half the town before they finally agreed, and he left. He left with prisoners, though, to keep the village in it's place."

"You two?" Kimiko asked gently. Lydia nodded, beginning to dry Kimiko's hair with a towel. "Yes, us and a few others. It was a year and a half ago, and we've been working in King's palace ever since. Just a reminder that he rules everything now." The girls helped Kimiko out of the washtub, handing her clean clothes to put on. "King took others, too, ones with defects, like Lydia. We're not treated badly here, so at least he's fair, if not kind. But we know that if we so much as disobey, our villages will be punished for it. As long as we stay in line, everyone will be safe. So all of us work hard and keep quiet, and nobody suffers for it." Lydia nodded, and now Kimiko understood why the girls had been so hesitant to speak with her.

Kimiko finished dressing; her new clothes were just like her old ones, except they were free from the rips and stains that the old ones had from all the fights and traveling. She turned to the girls, smiling softly. "Thank you. Both of you. I'm going to find some way to free everyone here, I promise."

"That's a big promise, miss," Autumn said, her expression turning to worry. "I'd hate for you to get hurt trying to keep it."

Kimiko smiled confidently and put a hand on her shoulder. "Autumn, let me tell you a secret. I am the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire, and it is my sacred duty to uphold justice and freedom, no matter where I am. I've fought armies, monsters and worse, and I'm not afraid to do it again. Freeing a nation is gonna be a piece of cake." Autumn's face lit up, and Lydia smiled.

"Thank you, miss!" she cried, beaming.

"Call me Kimiko," the Japanese girl said, making Autumn nod rapidly. She was about to add something when there was a knock at the door. "We're here for the Joker," someone called, and Lydia looked Kimiko over. She nodded at Autumn, who rushed Kimiko to the door, but paused before opening it.

"Miss, if you need any help, we're here for you. All you need to do is ask," she whispered. Kimiko glanced over her shoulder, where Lydia stood. She mouthed _good luck_, and then the door opened to reveal a girl Kimiko recognized. "You!" she gasped.

The girl from the tower smiled, putting her hands on her hips. "Miss me?"

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Kimiko asked, taken aback. The girl giggled, grabbing Kimiko's hand and waving at Autumn.

"I'll take it from here, Amy!"

"I-it's Autumn-"

"Whatever! Come on, King is waiting in the dining room!" the girl chirped, yanking Kimiko back down the hallway. Kimiko barely had time to take one last look at Autumn peering out the door before she was whisked down another hallway. "They say your name's Kimiko," the girl began, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "I thought that girl who looked like a boy was supposed to be the Joker- I mean, she looked the part, am I right?- but whatever. You're still not nearly as pretty as _me_, so that's okay." Kimiko dug her heels in and the girl stopped, turning to glare at her. "Hey! What's the big idea?  
"I could ask you the same thing!" Kimiko said, rubbing her wrist where the girl had grabbed it. "I thought you were another player! What are you doing here?"

The girl giggled, shaking her head. "Duh, isn't it obvi? I'm the Knight of Hearts!"

"Knight of… Hearts?" Kimiko asked.

"Again, duh! There are four of us, one for each suit! Which, it's so weird that shapes are called suits, but whatevs. I'm the Knight of Hearts, the cutie that brought you here is the Knight of Diamonds, the oldest one of us is the Knight of Clubs, and the other one is the Knight of Spades," she explained, ticking off each one on her fingers. "And now that you're here, we have the complete set!"

"But there are only four suits," Kimiko protested. The blonde rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips again.

"Um, yeah! But we need a Joker to be a full set, and that's why you're here!" She paused at the look of confusion on Kimiko's face, and backtracked a little. "You… _are_ the Joker, aren't you? You got the message about beta-ing like the rest of us?"

Kimiko shook her head. "No, I didn't get that message, my friend d -" she stopped when she realized that if she gave away the identity of the true Joker, she'd be putting the others in danger. "Well, no, it's not me." The girl stared at her for a moment, then her face drained of all color.

"Oh no," she said. "King will so not be happy to hear this! I'm gonna get in so much trouble" she whimpered, glancing at the door they had been about to go through. It was large and ornate, and Kimiko suspected it lead to the dining room. "Well, it's your lucky day," Kimiko said, walking past her to stop at the door. "_You_ aren't going to tell him." She gave the door a hard push, and it swung open. The dining room was much like the hall with jade pillars she had first come through. It had pillars of the same shade, but instead of lanterns, normal torches lit the pale yellow walls. A long table filled with food stretched from the door to the opposite end of the room, where a cloaked figure sat at the head of the table. On either side of the person stood a knight. Kimiko recognized the Knight of Diamonds on the left, and on the right was a slightly shorter, more muscular man with a green club on his armor. His was much like the Knight of Diamond's, but instead of a long blue plume on his helmet, he had a green Mohawk on his. A scar ran from his chin to his nose, then disappeared under his helmet. Seated at the figure's right was a young man, maybe a year or two older than Kimiko. His blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, and he wore a fairly nondescript tunic. The only strange thing about him was the armband he wore with a yellow spade on it. No one else sat at the table, though it was filled with food and seats had been prepared.

"There she is," a man's voice boomed, startling Kimiko. She vaguely registered the voice as familiar, though she couldn't think of where. "The final piece to our set! Come, sit and eat here with us! You must be famished after such a journey!" Hesitantly, Kimiko walked to the front, where the Knight of Diamonds stepped forward and pulled out her chair. She sat and he returned to his position by the hooded man. "By all accounts, help yourself," the man said, gesturing to the table. "Our other guests have been delayed for a while. I figured there was no use letting the food go cold, eh?" Kimiko knew that it was rude, but she was starving, so she began piling the sumptuous buffet onto her plate. She began to eat, and though it was hard to not stuff her face, she retained some manners and ate slowly. "So, those children with you called you Kimiko. Is that your real name or your screen name?" the man asked after a few moments.

"It's my real name," Kimiko replied. "And I assume you're the King I've heard so much about?"

"Yes, that's me," he said, his voice still pleasant. "Ruler of all, beloved by the masses and all that." _'Oh please,'_ Kimiko thought, but she kept her mouth shut. "Indeed, governing everyone is not an easy job, but somebody's gotta do it! And speaking of jobs, we have an opening I think you'll fill perfectly," he said, interlacing his fingers.

"Let me stop you right there," Kimiko said, raising a hand. The man stopped speaking, and the blonde boy glanced between her and the hooded man. "I am very flattered by all of this, really I am. But you've got the wrong girl. I'm not the Joker. Ne of the people that came in with me is." The hooded man was silent for a moment longer, then sighed.

"Well, that is a disappointment," King sighed. "An Enchantress as the Joker would have been excellent. Whose mistake was this?" The Knight of Diamonds gulped, and the hood turned towards him. "Ah. Yes, you were the one dispatched to fetch the Joker… hmm. Yes, this is bad news indeed. So the Joker, the key to my entire operation, is roaming the desert, about to come upon Drought Canyon and die?" he asked. His voice remained even, but malice seeped into it like poison. "And now I'll have to kill a perfectly good Enchantress. This is quite a disappointment."

"Wait!" The hood turned back to Kimiko, and the other three glanced at her. "I… I can still be useful," she began, her mind scrambling to put the pieces together.

"Do explain how," King said, his voice laced with annoyance.

"You… you can trade me!" When she saw that no one understood, Kimiko hurriedly continued. "I'm no good to you dead, but if I'm alive you can trade me back to my team for the real Joker. I know them, and I know that they'll make the trade. You'll get your Joker and I'll live! Everybody wins!" The hooded man hummed in thought, then the hood bobbed up and down in a nod.

"All right. You've twisted my arm, Miss Kimiko. I'll trade you in exchange for the real Joker. In the meantime, you'll be held in the dungeon." The man snapped his fingers and the knights walked over, each grabbing one of Kimiko's arms and pulling her away from the table. She kicked and twisted, but to no avail. King watched as they dragged her out of the room, then turned to the blonde boy who had been watching the whole thing with an expression of trepidation. "You will conduct the trade. I don't trust anyone else to now that the Knight of Diamonds has failed."

"I will not fail you, sir," the young man said, standing and bowing.

"See that you do not. I would hate to have to get rid of my own son."

**Awwww snap! Okay, maybe not that much of a twist, but you still got some good surprises in this chapter! :D I love all the OCs I get to put in this story, and adding Jack to the mix should only encourage the mayhem. Plus, we almost kinda met King. What will happen to Kimiko? Who will help her now? Who ****is**** the Joker? Oh, wait, we all know that one. XD Why is Jack in the game? Will he help the Warriors, or leave them to die? Who ****is**** King? What importance will his son be? All these questions and more will be answered (or not) in the next chapter. So drop a review and tell me whatcha think!  
Emma: No, seriously. There's some pretty decent traffic on this story, so she knows not everybody's reviewing. Especially if you're following, we'd appreciate the feedback. Even if you don't have an account, give yourself a snazzy name and tell her how she could screw up less or why you hate her!  
Die, you unholy creation of my brain.  
Emma: Mama!  
Oh, not this again. Review! :)**


	8. Firewood

**Firewood**

**A/N: AAUUUUGGHH THE FEELS. SO MANY. You guys are AMAZING! I thought I'd get maybe one more review than normal, (I usually get one from TheXGrayXLady and Marukaite Chikyuu Doitsu and Disciple of Darkness,) so getting SEVEN was mind-blowing! :D I can't thank you enough! By the way, if you haven't read much (or any) of my other junk, Emma and Jack kind of hang out and play video games every now and then. They're mutual friends, but also enemies. It's too bad there's not a word for that. Oh, and to make Emma even more of a Mary Sue, there will be **_**massive**_** amounts of fluff in this chapter. Seriously, it's gross. So brace yourselves.** A note on the desert people: their social system operates similarly to Indian caste systems, but it's not nearly the same. You'll get it as you go. **Enjoy!**

"So, you got a beta request too?" Emma asked. She and the boys walked beside the lizard gearbeasts after Jack and two of what he called the desert people had found them. They had put Clay on one so no one would have to carry him, and he had yet to regain consciousness. The desert people had mostly ignored them, but Jack had been happy to talk. Apparently, not many of the desert people liked to speak English.

"Yeah, but when I showed up at Knightfall they laughed at me," he muttered. "It's not fair! Just because I don't fit the requirements to be the Joker here I get kicked out. I can't rule the real world _or_ a digital one."

"Yeah, it's tough being you," Raimundo said, rolling his eyes. Emma glared at him, then turned back to Jack.

"If you got kicked outta Knightfall, how'd you end up with these guys?" she asked, glancing at the silent riders.

"Well, they kinda left me to die out here. Luckily for them, the desert people picked me up. I've been sharing my evil genius with them," he said, brushing off his robes and smiling smugly.

"… No you haven't."

"Have too!"

"Says the boy who can't beat the Elite Four."

"Hey, I can't help it! Marshal is intimidating."

"Albino say what?"

"What?"

"Knock it off, you two," Raimundo said. "Jack, will the desert people help us out too?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, none of you losers are nearly as cool as I am, but they might." Emma thwacked him upside the head, and Omi suppressed a laugh. Jack glared at Emma, rubbing the back of his head. "Though I doubt they'll like you if you keep doing that…"

Suddenly, the rider at the front halted, holding up his hand. Everyone else stopped, and the Warriors traded glances. The rider dismounted, motioning for the others to follow him. "See you guys at dinner," Jack said, giving them a superior grin. Emma stuck her tongue out at him, but then realized that they were taking Clay away.

"W-wait! What're they gonna do with Clay?" she asked.

"Probably take him to the medicine man's house. You'll get to see him too," Jack said. Emma sighed in relief and turned to go with her friends. But she paused, glancing back at Jack.

"Hey, um… thanks for helpin' us and everything." Jack paused, surprise written across his face.

"Well… you're welcome," he replied, nodding resolutely at her. She nodded back, then turned and dashed back towards her friends. Jack lingered a moment more, wondering what had inspired the outburst of kindness, but dismissed it as the heat getting to her head.

The man led them through a colony of tents, colorful and bright, with exotic perfumes wafting out from between the fabrics. Some were triangle-shaped and others were circular with a pointed roof, and still others were dome-shaped. Light spilled from the openings in-between loose seams and entrances, and lit up the sand as the sun began to set. The sand was much firmer here, as though many had walked on it for a long time. As they walked, the tents grew larger, until they reached a tent three times as big as the smaller ones. It had a pointed roof, and branched out on either side. It was also the best lit. The man lifted up the cloth draping over the entrance and waved for the four to go in. They did so, surprised at the state of the inside. Tapestries hung against the walls, helping shield them from the wind and adding splashes of red and green and yellow against the gray fabric of the tent. The floor was also covered with brightly patterned Oriental rugs. A few small tables were scattered around the tent, piled with books and tools and pieces of machinery, and they were spread around the edges of the room as well. In the center of the room sat a group of men in a circle, all wearing turbans and resting on plush cushions. They looked up when the three Warriors entered the room, and the man that had led them in backed out of the tent, bowing as he left.

The man that sat farthest from the entrance smiled warmly at the kids and motioned them in. They walked into the circle, and sat on four empty cushions across from him. "So, you are Jack's friends?" he asked. The man had a red turban and a shaved face, as opposed to the bearded men around him. They all looked Indian, and were dressed accordingly. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, but had an aura of power about him. However, he seemed very friendly, and there had been no hostility in his question, just curiosity.

"Hardly his friends," Raimundo muttered, but Emma jabbed him with her elbow and he stopped. "Well, we know him, yes."

"Excellent! I am the Sheikh of this tribe. You may call me Hakim," he said, bowing slightly.

"I'm Raimundo, this is Omi, that's Emma, and our injured friend is Clay. Thanks for helping us like this," he added, bowing in return.

"It was your friend that convinced me to let you come into our camp. Jack has been a great help to us in repurposing the gearbeasts to use for our own needs. As a Mechanist, this is no surprise to us, but he is exceptionally skilled."

"Considering his own experience with robots, that is no surprise," Omi replied, nodding.

"Yes, Jack told us of his many conquests in your world. He even told us of you," Hakim said, then frowned slightly. "Although, you all seem more intelligent than he described. And he mentioned there were five of you…?"

"Our friend Kimiko was taken by Knightfall," Emma said, and a few of the other men in the circle glared at her. One whispered into Hakim's ear, and he frowned deeper.

"Ah. I am sorry, Emma, but females are not allowed to be in the presence of the council when we meet," he said. "We did not realize that you are a-"

"Oh, forget it!" she snapped, standing abruptly. "I can take a hint! Tell me what happens, guys," she said to Raimundo and Omi before turning and striding angrily out of the tent. Hakim winced, and the other men seemed greatly surprised.

"Um, yeah, sorry about her, she's just…" Hakim glanced at Raimundo, a broad smile growing on his face.

"Ha ha ha! She is very spirited, isn't she?" he asked, making the other men frown disapprovingly.

"That's one word to describe her. Others are psycho, annoying, bonkers…" Hakim laughed again, shaking his head.

"Well, not many of our women would act that way. It is good to see a change of pace."

"Sometimes a change of pace can be a bad thing," muttered an old man in a green turban. "Like King's taking over and forcing us from our home."

Hakim glared at him, and the man shrunk back a bit. "My father died because of King. That is why I am Sheikh and why I hate him, but I will concentrate on one problem at a time… like the survival of our people if we are spread out like sand in the wind. If we must adapt new ways to survive, so be it."

"Wait, wait- who's King?" Raimundo asked. The men turned to him, looks of shock and annoyance present on their faces. Hakim sighed and shook his head.

"That is a long story. But you are lucky, for tomorrow we begin our yearly pilgrimage to our true home, the only act of mercy King gave us. Each night we recount the story of our people, so that we may never forget his cruelty. If you wish, you may stay with us for the journey; we will be going near Knightfall, which I assume is where you are going," he added, making Raimundo and Omi trade glances. "We also have the resources to heal your friend faster than you could, even though you are a Healer," he continued, motioning to Omi. "We would be there in two days. What do you say?"

"Um, one second," Raimundo said, pulling Omi aside for a moment. "I say we go with them."

"I agree. Perhaps we will get to Knightfall faster than if we traveled alone," Omi said, and Raimundo nodded. They turned back to the circle, and Raimundo spoke. "We accept. Thank you for letting us stay."

"It is no problem," Hakim said, smiling again. "You may have the green tent nearest to here. Emma may sleep in the red tent near the medical area."

"That's probably where she is now," Raimundo said, standing. "Thanks again."

"Sleep well, my friends," Hakim said as they left. The other men in the circle turned to look at him in astonishment and admonishment. He crossed his arms stubbornly and said, "We must embrace new ways if we are to survive. These children can help us do so. That is my final word on the matter."

**A/N: (Now would be a great time to pull up the song Firewood by Regina Spektor, just to let it load and stuff. Seriously, get it soon. YOU WILL NEED IT. Kthnxbai.)**

Raimundo and Omi found the tent easily enough. It was not nearly as spacious or bright as the Sheikh's tent, but it had sleeping bags and a small lantern, and it was better than sleeping on the ground, at least. Omi crawled into his sleeping bag immediately, but Raimundo paused, remembering he had to tell Emma where she would be staying. So, muttering about how sore his legs were, he left again to go find her. It was dark, since the sun had set and the moon was just starting to come out, and he was half-worried about stumbling into someone who wasn't quite as welcoming as Hakim had been.

Luckily, she was where he'd figured she would be; standing outside the low, gray medical tent, pacing back and forth in a mixture of anger and worry. Her cap was in her hands, and she was twisting it up and pulling it out again, the bells at the ends jingling relentlessly. "How's he doing?" Raimundo asked, making her jump slightly.

"Oh. I don't know, the medicine man hasn't come out yet," she replied, rocking back on her heels. It was obvious she wanted to get her mind off of Clay's predicament. "So… what'd the Sheikh say?"

"Um, he likes your spirit or whatever, we're welcome to stay, they can heal Clay and we'll be at Knightfall in two days," he replied. "Oh, and during that time we might get a chance to learn about what's going on here."

"That's great," Emma said, nodding, but she lacked her usual enthusiasm. Raimundo tilted his head slightly, frowning.

"Are you okay? You look like you're buggin'."

"I kinda am," she admitted, glancing at the medical tent and rubbing her arm. "I just… it's just that, I feel like it's my fault he's in there."

"It is," Raimundo said, nodding, and suppressed a grin when she glared daggers at him. "But he knew what he was doing. Besides, Hakim said he'll be fine, so you don't need to worry."

"Yeah, you're right," she sighed. Just then, a stooped old man wearing gray robes stepped out, looking around. When he saw Emma and Raimundo, he waved for them to come over, and they did so eagerly.

"Your friend is very lucky you had a Healer in your party," he rasped. "His wound was treated very well, and quickly enough so that he wasn't poisoned too badly. You keep an eye on him tonight, and he'll be fine by tomorrow." With that, he walked away, leaving Emma and Raimundo to be confused.

"So… does that mean one of us has to stay here tonight?" he asked.

Emma's hand shot up. "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" she cried, waving her arm in the air.

"Shh! Shut up before you wake everybody up!" he hissed, shushing her. She quieted, and he sighed. "You can watch over him. Just don't try to sleep-hypnotize him or anything, okay?"

"Jeez, Rai, I'm not gonna try anything funny. This is just 'cause I feel guilty about him saving me," she said, shoving her hat into her bag. "G'wan, I'll make sure he's okay."

"Alright. Goodnight, freak."

"G'night, jerk." Emma watched Raimundo disappear through the myriad of tents, then turned back to the medical tent with a tightness forming in her chest. She lifted the flap and entered, blinking as her eyes adjusted. A covered torch emitted a pale, flickering light that dimly illuminated four mats, three empty and the farthest one from the door occupied. Emma crept over, bending down slightly so she didn't knock her head against the tent's top pole. She knelt beside him, examining his wound. He was shirtless, which made her go red, but she tried to ignore it and focus on his gash. The medicine man had given Clay fresh bandages that smelled like bleach, and a rag and a bucket of cool water sat beside Clay's head. It was obvious why; his forehead shone with sweat, and he twitched in his sleep as though he could still feel the poison.

Emma winced and dipped the rag in the water, wringing it out and laying it on Clay's forehead. He calmed down almost immediately, though his breathing was still too short and his hands continued to shake. "Shh, shh, it's okay, I'm here," Emma said, wiping his forehead with the rag. "You're gonna be fine, I promise." Clay groaned something unintelligible, and Emma sighed. "I said shh." When Clay didn't reply, Emma smiled softly and sat cross-legged, taking one of his hands in hers. After a few minutes of silence and the occasional grunt of pain from Clay, Emma glanced at the entrance and decided that nobody else was going to come in. She looked back down at Clay, frowning.

"You know, you gave me a real scare back there. Nobody's ever taken a hit for me before. That was sweet of you. And brave, too, but I already knew you were brave…" Clay shifted on the mat, and Emma paused to move his hair away from his eyes, which were shut tight in pain. "Just live through this so I can thank you, okay?" she whispered, giving his hand a small squeeze. He didn't say anything, but his breathing began to slow just a little bit. Emma smiled and stroked his hair again, and he seemed to calm more. That gave her an idea. She took a deep breath and softly began to sing.

"_The piano is not firewood yet. They try to remember, but still they forget- that the heart beats in threes, just like a waltz. And nothing can stop you from dancing. Rise from your cold hospital bed. I tell you, you're not dying. Everyone knows you're going to live… so you might as well start trying._

"_The piano is not firewood yet. But the cold does get cold, so it soon might be that. I'll take it apart, call up my friends. And we'll warm up our hands by the fire."_

"_Don't look so shocked. Don't judge so harsh. You don't know you are only spying. Everyone knows it's going to hurt… but at least we'll get hurt trying._

"_The piano is not firewood yet. But a heart can't be helped, and it gathers regret. Someday you'll wake up and feel a great pain, and you'll miss every toy you ever owned. You'll want to go back. You'll wish you were small. Nothing can slow the crying. You'll take the clock off of your wall… and you'll wish it was lying._

"_Love what you have, and you'll have more love. You're not dying_. E-everyone knows you're going to love…" Her voice cracked, and the tears that had bubbled up behind her eyes spilled over, and she had to whisper the last verse. _"Though there's still no cure for crying."_

* * *

Kimiko wanted to hit her head against the wall out of boredom, but the wall was stone and it would hurt. Also, it was wet and she didn't want to mess up her hair any more than what had been done to it; the air was damp and gross and was totally making her frizz. The dungeons were absolutely nasty; they consisted of several long hallways made of cobblestone with cramped rooms covered in moss and slime and goo and infested with rats and roaches and other assorted creepy-crawlies and it was _super gross_ and she wanted out. Or to hit her head against a wall. But, seeing as both options were moot, she was left to try and figure out how the heck she could escape. With every plan she dismissed, however, her hope dwindled away, and she was beginning to get nervous. She wasn't actually sure they would trade her for Emma- who Kimiko assumed was the Joker, since she had gotten the beta request in the first place- thought Raimundo would be all for it. Clay would probably be torn, and she figured Omi would side with Raimundo. Emma would probably go through with the trade, if only to gain power and end up ruling the world herself, and Kimiko had seen Emma's Minecraft account, so she knew what the witch did with a world of her own and an unlimited supply on TNT. That would end poorly.

"Miss?" Kimiko's head jerked up, and she was surprised to see Autumn standing there, holding a tray of food. "Are you alright?"

"Well, I've been better," Kimiko admitted. Autumn slid the tray in the small space under the bars, and handed Kimiko a glass of water through them.

"I'm sorry about the conditions here, but there's not much I can do at the moment," Autumn said, kneeling down to speak with Kimiko. "King is very upset. We could hear him shouting from the kitchen!"

"Oh, great, I made this world's most powerful monarch mad," Kimiko grumbled. She picked up one of the two pieces of bread on her plate, realizing with distaste that it was stale. But she was hungry, and it would hold her over for a while, so she began to eat.

"The other girls are excited to hear that you'll help us," Autumn whispered confidentially. Kimiko nearly spit out her bread, but managed to regain her composure.

"Wh-what other girls?" she asked.

"Oh! I should have told you earlier. Lydia and I aren't the only ones taken from our home. There are many other girls and boys that were brought here to keep the castle in top condition. I let the girls I talk to know, and they're spreading the word as we speak. Soon, every errand boy and scullery maid will know that we've got you on our side, and your friends as well!" Autumn seemed very happy about it, and pleased with herself for initiating it, so Kimiko decided not to mention that her friends may not even arrive.

"That's… great, Autumn! Way to get the news out," Kimiko said, giving as genuine a smile as she could muster and a thumbs-up. Autumn positively beamed, and for a moment, Kimiko felt better. Then they heard the clanking of chain mail, and a guard came around the corner, glaring at them in the dim torchlight. He wasn't wearing his helmet, which let the girls see his angry expression.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" he snapped, motioning at Autumn, who went white.

"She's just getting me food," Kimiko said quickly. The guard turned to glare at her, and she got the feeling she had just made the situation worse.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Just another prisoner," she said slowly, raising her hands. Then, as the guard was about to say something else, thin streams of fire shot from her palms and singed his hair. He screamed and took off running, patting furiously at his hair. There was a moment of silence before the girls turned to look at each other and burst out laughing.

"That- that was brilliant!" Autumn squealed, laughing so hard she fell back. Kimiko was laughing just as hard, mentally fixing the guard's expression in her mind so she could describe it to Raimundo. Autumn stood, wiping her eyes as her giggles began to fade. "Thank you, Miss," she said, still smiling. "You've got an army in the castle, now. We're at your beck and call- just give the word and we'll rise!"

"Good to know, but the rising will have to wait until my friends and I have a plan," Kimiko said, standing as well. She shook Autumn's hand through the bars, and then the girl dashed away to avoid more confrontation. Kimiko's smile, however, faded as Autumn got farther and farther away. Now the kids of the castle had hope… but would she be the one to destroy it?

It was going to be a long night.

**Things are really rollin' now! Sorry for the fluff overdose, but I've had that scene in mind since I first hear Firewood (a while back) so I knew I was gonna do it. Thanks again for all of your reviews, and please leave another on your way out! LOVE YA!**


	9. Much Yet To Learn

**Much Yet To Learn**

**A/N: HHNNNGHGHG OMG you guuuuuuys~ *passes out*  
Emma: Sorry about her. She just got back from ortho and she's still kinda high.  
No! Gerroff! I'm not high- well, I kind of always am, but whatever- I'm just happy! And low on sleep. (School, you are the bane of my existence.) Anywhooo, the magnificent Marukaite Chikyuu Doitsu made some FANART! Can you believe it? Fanart! Of **_**my**_** story!  
Emma: Calm down before you hurt yourself.  
Shush, you're in it.  
Emma: That's true. THANK YOU MARU!  
XD Woah, superlong author's note is superlong. Check out the fantabulous fanart heyah! **** mcdoitsu . deviantart art / KNIGHTFALL-ClayXEmma-319092292**** Take out the spaces and you're set. Though if you like that, you're gonna hate this chapter. *evil laugh* Anyway, ONWARD WEEZ ZE STORY!**

Kimiko woke up to the sound of something clattering onto the floor. Groggily, she sat up, looking around. No one was there, and the bad taste in her mouth suggested she had been asleep for several hours, at least. Then she noticed the small copper disk in the middle of her cell. She crawled over, picking it up and examining it. It was about the size of her palm, and the shape of a circular locket. Kimiko looked up, surprised to find a tiny hole in her ceiling, just big enough for the disk, which she hadn't noticed before. She couldn't see where it led, just that it disappeared. So she returned her attention to the strange device. She could see a clasp, so she cautiously opened it. Strangely enough, the inside had only a mirror on the top and a round, red gem on the bottom, the same color as the one in her tiara. When she touched the gem, she found that it rolled under her fingers, like a trackball on a mouse. With no warning, the mirror flashed white, and Kimiko winced, half expecting it to blow up. But, luckily for her, it didn't, and instead the mirror turned into a screen. The screen came to life, and Kimiko found herself staring at the black-and-white back of someone's head. The camera began bobbing up and down and moving forward, and she realized that it was moving.

_Here, dear readers, is where I'm going to clue you in. Though Kimiko couldn't have possibly known it, that disk was really the receiver for a small camera, a camera currently attached to the lapel of a boy with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. If you were paying attention to last chapter, you may recognize him. If not, I implore you to reread the last bit. That, as you well know, is something Kimiko cannot do, so you'll have to do it for her._

Kimiko watched as the screen showed the person walking up to something she had no name for. It was an oval ring of deep, black stone, smooth and sharp and impossibly mystical. Though the screen showed everything black-and-white, as though it was in an old movie, the word obsidian struck her. The oval was standing vertically, at least seven meters tall and alone in the center of the room. The person, their back still to the camera, spread their arms. "Look at it! Our future, and it's only a step away." Kimiko started when she recognized the voice; it was King. King wore a suit and had a ponytail, much like the blonde boy that had been sitting next to him at dinner.

"My son, this is truly our greatest hour," King continued, his voice booming even in the small room. "Years of planning have all led up to this! In two days, on the night of the full moon, we shall have our final player in the game, and _you_ will lead the charge."

"Yes, Father. But…" King's head turned slightly, though Kimiko still couldn't see his face.

"But?" His tone turned venomous, and Kimiko could almost feel the person who had spoken wince. "But what? What else could you possibly wish for? You are going to have the crown, the throne, and two worlds as your empire. What more could you possibly want?" he asked, his voice akin to roaring. Something obscured Kimiko's view, and as it flashed back and forth in front of the camera, she realized it was a hand.

"Only less. I… I do not understand why you- w-why _we_- require so much for our empire. Is one land not enough? Is one world not enough? So many lives and so many resources have been wasted- I mean, used- to create our kingdom here. Why must y- we- hunger for more? Is this not plenty? Couldn't we just concentrate on making the people here safe and full and happy?"

King sighed. "My son, you have much yet to learn. The people will grow restless if we give them contentment. We must crush their spirits and always dangle hope just outside their grasp, to keep them from rising up. The people of this world have more power than they know; if they used it against us all would be for naught. And besides, my first kingdom is out there still. I am not capturing new land- I am retaking it for my own. Do you understand?" Though most of what he said had been seemingly kind, his last question was laced with malice.

"Y-yes, Father. I understand." King turned and smiled at the boy, his eyes above the camera but his face clear. Kimiko gasped and nearly dropped the disk; she knew that face. Somehow, she just hadn't been able to put it with the voice. But it all made sense now. The trouble they had gotten when they first arrived, the plagues along the way- who else could have known where they were going? Who else could have set them up? Yes, this made perfect sense, and Kimiko was furious with herself for not seeing it earlier. It was painfully obvious that King was-

* * *

Clay woke up with a dull throbbing in his chest that reached up to hi shoulder and seeped into his limbs. He felt like he was made of lead, and he was tired and hungry and sore, so he was glad to wake up to silence. No noise meant no one to bother him, which meant he could go back to sleep. As he closed his eyes again, he felt a motion beside him, and felt as though that wasn't quite right…

His eyes snapped open when he realized that he wasn't alone. Taking in his surroundings, he realized that he also wasn't at the Temple. His memories rushed back like a freight train; fighting the scorpion gearbeast, getting tossed around like a ragdoll and being the one to take the final blow, and when he had seen the stinger, still gleaming and sharp and poison-filled, dead or not… why had he pushed Emma out of the way? He could have yelled and she would have moved. She was quick enough. Probably. Maybe it had been what she said when the heat got her head? Admittedly, no girl had ever told him _that_ before, so it was very possible that it had influenced his decision. But, one, that was most likely heat exhaustion and two, he didn't like her back. He didn't. Of course he didn't, why would he? Yes, she was funny and nice enough and unlike anyone he'd ever met, and she was a challenge in every respect, but… he didn't like her. No, if she truly did have feelings for him, they were unrequited, and even if he did (which he didn't) there were rules against that sort of thing, and Clay Bailey was no rulebreaker.

Which brought him around to his next point. He was wounded (so said the pain lancing through his torso) and he was in an unfamiliar place. After he blacked out, everything was murky dreams and cold wind until just a few moments ago. Without moving too much, he raised his head slightly and took in his surroundings. He lay in a low, gray tent, with three other mats, supported by a central pole and poles at either end. It was warm and just a little stifling, but he wore only bandages and pants, so that helped keep him cool. He glanced to his left, and went red when he saw the sleeping form next to him. It was, of course, the object of his earlier speculations. Emma slept soundly, curled up against him with her hands tucked under her chin and her elbows jutting out. Her hat lay near his on the ground, and by them were a bucket and a damp rag. Clay realized that Emma had probably been up all night taking care of him, and a wave of sickly remorse swelled up inside him.

He tried to move without waking her, but this proved useless. The second he shifted, she yawned and opened her eyes. The second she registered where she was, Emma jolted back, nearly hitting her head on the center pole. "C-Clay! I-I- you're awake!" she cried, her face a mixture of shock and embarrassment. "I, um… h-how ya feelin'?"

"Better," Clay replied, sitting up and gently rubbing his wound. He winced, and Emma handed him clean bandages.

"Good! Here. Um, take off those bandages and I'll find the medicine man." And with that, she bolted out the tent, taking her hat with her. Clay stared at the tent flap for another moment before sighing. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"G'morning Jack!" Jack glanced up from his workbench to see Emma running across the sand to greet him. She skidded to a halt, only slightly off-balance by the sand. "Whatcha working on?" she asked, peering over his shoulder.

"None of your business," Jack replied, elbowing her out of the way. Emma glared at him, then remembered why she had gone to talk to him. "I don't suppose you know where the medicine man is?"

"I saw him talking to the Sheikh earlier," Jack replied, waving a hand dismissively. "He probably went back to the medical tent."

"Oh, okay. Where can I get somethin' to eat?"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Not really. I guess when I sleep sometimes, but I probably talk in my sleep anyway. My dreams are super-weird. Like this one time, Pac-Man was trying to eat me, but I wasn't a ghost or a Pac pellet, so I don't know why he would try to do that, but anyway, I thought I was a goner until this big hole opened up in the ground and I fell in, and then I was in-"

"Breakfast is over there!" Jack yelled, pointing to a fire that crackled in a hole in the ground.

"No need to yell," Emma huffed. "Some people." She turned and walked away, and Jack sighed in relief.

"Hey, Spicer."

"I said go away!" Jack yelled, turning around violently. He stopped when he saw Raimundo looking at him, arms crossed. "Eh-heh. I thought, um…"

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, do you know what King's gonna do with Kimiko?" he asked. Jack said that he needed details, so Raimundo explained how Kimiko had been captured.

"Oh, I get it. The Knight of Diamonds probably took her because King thought she was gonna be the Joker," Jack said. "But if Kimiko isn't the one that got the beta request, then she isn't the Joker, so they're most likely keeping her in the dungeons until they can trade her for the real Joker. Speaking of, which one of you got the request?"

"Emma," Raimundo muttered.

"Oh, yeah. A Trickster Mage as the Joker would do pretty good for them. I don't know why they need a full deck, but when I went to Knightfall King said something about needing all five of us. So I'm pretty sure that means that the four Knights are from the real world too."

Raimundo's frown deepened. "Okay… so King needs the Knight of Hearts, Clubs, Spades and Diamonds, right? And the Joker, too. But for what?"

"I have a number of theories, but none really work," Jack sighed, turning back to his work. "If King does make the trade, Kimiko might be able to tell us something about it."

"Yeah, she- wait, _us_?" Jack shrugged, connecting two circuits and not meeting Raimundo's eyes.

"Well, I mean, I don't _want_ to team up with you guys or anything-"

"The feeling is mutual."

"- but I wanna get out of here too, and as awesome and evil as I am, I might end up needing you five," Jack finished, his tone haughty. "Besides, I've got a world to rule, and this one is way too boring."

"Uh-huh. We'll call a truce… for now." Raimundo stuck out his hand and jack stared at it suspiciously. Hesitantly, he shook it, and Raimundo nodded approvingly. "The second we get back to our world, though…"

"Yeah, yeah." Jack went back to work, and Raimundo walked away. Both teenagers had a foreboding sense of dread, but of what- or whom- they didn't know.

**Herp derp. I know, not much happened here, and I'm sorry, but I need a filler. Next chapter will probably be longer, so fingers crossed that you like it. :) On a side note, school started last Monday and I am dying a slow, painful death of AP classes and marching band practices, so my updates will be regrettably slower. Sorry, guys!  
P.S. WAS THAT A TWIST OR WHAT? Lawl. Nahh, I **_**never**_** planned to make Clay like Emma back. }:D All the fluff I write about future-them is AU, so I don't have to abide by it. *evil laugh again* Review and tell me how much you hate me. G'wan. CX**


	10. Caravan

**Caravan  
(In Which A Trade Is Made And Regret Has A Heyday)**

**A/N: So… yeah. You people hate me now. *trollface* I enjoyed that. Thanks again to Maru-chan (yes like the ramen) for the fantabulous fanart! Emma, say thank you.  
Emma: Can't. Too busy using Pokémon to take over the world.  
I should never have gotten you Pokémon Conquest…  
Emma: But it's so fun! And I can finally use them to do evil things instead of good things and shove my will down the throats of those who dare oppose me and my army!  
… You're a dictator.  
Emma: An adorable dictator, yes.  
Well then. Italics is Emma, italics and bold is Jack, underlines is them together. On with the story!**

Clay was very thankful for the ability to walk. He kept thinking about how no one appreciated it until it was gone. But he could walk now, though it was more of a limp, and that meant that he could once again feel the humming voice of the sand underneath him. It was a good feeling. What wasn't a good feeling was knowing that he and his closest friends were trapped in a computer game, maybe never to leave, and his best friend's girlfriend was in the clutches of a madman. The morning's run-in with Emma hadn't helped. Plus, they were stuck with their first and worst enemy who would probably backstab them the second it looked like a better idea than helping them out. Yes, things were grim, but he could walk, and for that he would be thankful.

He stepped out of the medical tent, squinting in the desert sun. His wound throbbed, but it was far less painful since the medicine man had given him a strange paste to rub into it. It burned for a minute, but after that the pain had nearly vanished. He had already eaten, so he decided to check in with the Shoku warrior and see how things were progressing. As he walked through the camp, people bustled around him, packing up their tents and loading carts and bags onto camels and horses. Several lizard gearbeasts scuttled around, carrying packages and provisions. Great clouds of sand were kicked up, but a wave of his hand sent them back to the ground, murmuring about times long ago. Sand was much chattier than stone.

"Clay!" He turned at the voice, smiling to see Omi weaving his way through the crowd. Omi's white coat was covered in sand and grit, but he seemed exuberant nonetheless. "It is good to see that you are above and jogging!"

"Up an' runnin'. Thanks, little buddy, it's good to be back. What'd Ah miss?" The boys walked through the mass of people, their voices mingling with a hundred other in a different language. The language the people spoke sounded like Arabic, but Clay didn't speak it, so he couldn't be sure.

"The Sheikh is happy to have us here, and we will be traveling with the desert people past Knightfall. We will be there in two days, and you and Raimundo and Jack I get to sit with him at the head of the caravan," Omi said proudly.

"Sounds good, except fer Spicer." A moment later, something occurred to the Texan. "Wait… Emma won't be with us?"

"No, she will be in the back with the other women," Omi chirped. "They are staying back there so they do not interfere with the business of the men!"

"You'll fit in just fine here, Omi," Clay said dryly. His real message escaped the monk, who continued along blissfully. In truth, though, Clay was relieved that Emma wouldn't be with them. No awkward encounters. Clay wasn't stupid- he knew how she felt, and she might take whatever had happened while he was sick as… well, however it was girls took that kind of thing. The point was, he didn't want to have to deal with it if it was brought up, since they didn't need any more distractions on their way… nor any more rules broken.

"This is bull crap!" Emma roared as two guards pulled her towards the back of the caravan. They each had a firm grip on an arm, but she kicked and snarled and though she was far weaker than them, her temper tantrum was making their task very unpleasant. Finally they had gotten her to a colorful covered wagon near the end of the procession, where they unceremoniously tossed her in. She landed among some provisions with a thump, and sat up, rubbing the welt on her head. "Hey! You guys'll pay fer that!" she yelled, sticking her head out of the flap in the canvas. "You hear me?" But the guards had hightailed it, and with a huff of indignation she reentered the wagon.

"Ah… hello." Emma whirled around to see several other young women, varying in age from fourteen to early twenties, sitting around. They all wore veils and were dressed in dark colors, save for some jewelry here and there. Emma felt a familiar feeling rise up in her throat; shame. Here she was, allowed to ride with the desert people instead of being left to die in the desert, and she had fought them every step of the way. Worse, she had made a fool of herself in front of anyone who might have been a friend. 'Just like the first day of school,' she thought miserably.

"Hi," she said, weakly, attempting a smile. "Heh, um… some security, huh? Couldn't get a bag of Doritos in past those guys."

"We thought you were rather valiant," one of the younger girls offered. Emma's smile grew genuine, and she sat at the edge of the circle the girls were in. "No one fights the guards like that."

Emma laughed. "Well, in my defense, they coulda been more polite."

* * *

**(A/N: You should pull up The Copper War by The Cog Is Dead. Because there's more super-fun musical action in this chapter as well, yay!)**

"Sheikh Hakim, thanks again for letting us travel with you," Raimundo said. He rode a camel next to the Sheikh, which seemed to annoy some of the old men that had been on the council, but Hakim ignored them. For his part, the Sheikh had been very happy to have the Warriors aboard. He wanted to know all about where they came from, and the boys had been happy to talk.

"It is a great joy to have you with us, Raimundo," the man replied. "You and your friends have been most interesting. I enjoy learning so much of your America and Brazil and China. So… you were telling me what a taco is?"

"It's a food," Raimundo began, but was interrupted by his stomach growling fiercely. The Sheikh laughed and glanced up at the sun.

"Yes, it is about lunchtime, isn't it?" He held up a hand, and the procession ground to a halt. "We've made good time insofar. We'll stop here, eat, and continue on." They dismounted as the guards walked up and down the caravan, informing everyone of what time it was. The people gathered on the right side of the caravan in circles, lighting fires and brewing soup and cooking meat. The Sheikh led the boys to the largest circle, which was still attracting people. A large fire crackled in the middle, and a cauldron bubbled with broth.

"While we're waiting for the soup to finish, who would like to tell a story?" asked one of the old men.

"Let Rajesh!" a boy cried, making several people around him laugh. An older boy who looked just like him ruffled his hair, making the little boy grin.

"No, we heard his last year," the Sheikh said, chuckling. "We should hear a new story… say, why not get one from our new friends?" he asked, glancing at the Warriors. They exchanged looks before Emma entered from the other side of the circle, striding towards them as if on a mission.

"We'd love to!" she said cheerfully, grabbing the arms of Clay and Raimundo and dragging them away. "Just one second while we decide what story to tell!" Jack and Omi followed, and joined them in a huddle. "Guys, can I do this?"

"You know, we can't always cater to your spotlight-hog ways," Raimundo muttered.

"That's not why! … Well, okay, it is a little, but also because these people need an confidence boost. Clay, you remember that steampunk band I showed you?"

"The Cog Is Dead?"

"Yeah! I think you should do guitar and I can tell The Copper War. Maybe that'll get their fighting spirits up, y'know? We could use allies if we wanna beat King," Emma pointed out.

"Wait, I know that song," Jack said. Everyone turned to him, and he coughed. "I mean, I usually listen to heavy metal and rap and evil… stuff… b-but I know them 'cause steampunk is cool."

"Uh-_huh._"

"Even I do not believe that," Omi murmured, making Emma snicker.

"Whaddaya say, Rai? Me, Em an' Jack tag-teamin'. Might just work," Clay offered.

"… It's worth a shot," he said, a ghost of the grin they were used to gracing his expression. "Just don't come crying to me if they kick you out."

"Challenge accepted, Xiaolin loser."

"Sheikh!" Omi dashed over, tugging on his sleeve. "We are prepared when you are."

"Excellent! Everyone, hush, they're going to tell their story!" Hakim said, waving his hands. Immediately, everyone fell silent, and the few people in the other circles wandered over to see what was going on. Emma skipped into the circle of the circle, Jack following. Clay borrowed an instrument that looked just like a guitar from a man sitting near the edge, and tuned it. When he gave her a thumbs-up, Emma turned to face the crowd, raising her arms theatrically. Curious faces stared back, some ready to judge, some confused, some excited.

"Desert people! We have many stories, as diverse and rich as your own. But today we come to you with a tale that is more fact than fiction. We bring you a story of anger and jealousy, of war, and of a town that rose up against the cruelty of one man to protect their own!" Quiet murmuring broke out amongst the people, but Raimundo couldn't tell if it was positive or negative. "Hit it!" Clay began to play a Western rhythm, and Raimundo noted with satisfaction that many of the crowd began to smile.

"_Verdigris Patina was a peaceful little town, the home of Wilbur Redpot, finest coppersmith around. He was famous for his products, as they sold extremely well. Competitors were livid as their business income fell."_

"_**Now, Alexander Copperplate, a man from out of town, declared his gang was coming soon to shoot poor Wilbur down. The town was in a panic; they knew something should be done. And they had till morning sun!"**_

"_So saddle up your steam-bike and put your goggles on! We've got to be prepared or else we'll all be dead by dawn- Copperplate is coming, and his eyes are seeing red, and he's after Wilbur's head!"_ More instrument joined in; drums, another guitar-like instrument and a horn. The crowd clapped along as Clay led the melody.

"_The townsfolk got together and they figured out a plan. They knew they'd have to do their best to save their fellow man, and though they had no weapons, they all had a lot of brains; they'd build machines to leave their villain in a world of pain!"_

"_**So Wilbur brought the copper, old Frank supplied the steel; Bob and Sue had extra chains, and Tommy brought the wheels; they knew they'd have a chance with these, they knew they'd win the fight. And they worked all through the night!"**_

"_So saddle up your steam-bike and put your goggles on! We've got to be prepared or else we'll all be dead by dawn- Copperplate is coming, and his eyes are seeing red, and he's after Wilbur's head!"_

"_Well Copperplate arrived at dawn, he stayed true to his word. But the town was deathly silent, not a soul was to be heard. He yelled out, "Redpot! Come on out, and fight me like a man!" And that was when the churning and the chugging sounds began."_

"_**An army of the townsfolk soon poured out into the street. Each of them on steam-bikes, and they all were packing heat. They had his men surrounded; there was fear on every face. And they put them in their place!**_

"_Power up your steam-bike, let's show 'em who's in charge! We've got our ropes and grappling hooks and weapons to discharge. Copperplate is panicked and his face is turning white, and we're gonna win this fight!_

"That's right! Let's go!" cheered the crowd. Raimundo grinned. It was working. It was actually working!

"_Now power down your steam-bike, we finally took 'em down. We strung 'em up and licked 'em good and ran them out of town! Verdigris Patina is a peaceful town once more, and we won the Copper War!"_

"_Hyah!" _

The crowd cheered madly, whooping and laughing as Emma and Jack took a series of well-deserved bows. "You never said you could sing," Emma muttered, nudging Jack and grinning.

"Well, evil geniuses don't usually sing," he said, waving to the audience. "But I'm just so awesome an exception was made in my case."

"Excuses, excuses."

"Great job, guys!" Jack and Emma turned to see Raimundo approach them, grinning widely. "I think you were right; that was just the push they-" Raimundo was interrupted by something that sounded like a helicopter. Everyone craned his or her necks to watch a gearbeast descend from the sky, spitting up massive, choking clouds of sand. However, Raimundo realized when it came near that it was no gearbeast at all, but a sleek helicopter that looked like it came from their world, not from the game. It landed several meters away, too far to be attacked but close enough for those standing on the outside of the circle to see two figures exit. One figure was gripping the second by their arm, and it seemed like the second was being dragged more than walking of their own free will. Once the figures exited the sand cloud, Raimundo gaped. It was Umbra, the mayor from the first town, holding Kimiko's arm. Her wrists were tied together and her mouth was duct-taped, but she seemed fine otherwise. Relief and fear fought for dominance when she saw her friends standing with the desert people, unharmed.

"Hello!" he called, waving jovially. "I believe this belongs to you?" His grip on Kimiko's arm loosened slightly, but she didn't make a run for it. She knew he could just as quickly gun down her friends and innocent bystanders.

"Umbra? What are you doing?" Raimundo yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Hakim asked, momentarily pulling Raimundo's attention away from Kimiko. "That's King!"

"What?" the Brazilian cried, eyes widening.

Umbra smiled. "Guilty as charged. Hakim! You're looking well!" The Sheikh tensed up when Umbra called his name, his hands balling into fists. "How's the migration going? Well, I hope!"

"As well as can be expected when one is exiled from his homeland," Hakim snarled. Umbra just laughed, unthreatened by the man's anger.

"Excellent! Now, then, on to the next matter of business. Who is in charge of the troupe of children intent on ruining my kingdom?" Raimundo stepped forward, eyes blazing. "Ah! Pleasure to meet you once more, young man. Are you the one who received the request to join our noble cause?"

"It's hardly noble… but no, that'd be the pointy-hatted prima donna," Raimundo said, motioning to Emma. "Why?" Kimiko facepalmed even with her hands tied together, and Jack glanced between the two girls.

King smiled in a way Raimundo didn't like at all. "Good. Now, then, seeing as how I'm a shrewd businessman, I'm willing to make a trade. The Enchantress for the Trickster Mage. You have five minutes to decide." The Warriors, not knowing what else to do, crowded together to discuss.

"I vote yes," Raimundo hissed.

"Woah, there, we haven't considered everything," Clay muttered back. "What's he gonna do with Emma if he gets her?"

"Something he'd do to Kimiko otherwise," Emma whispered, her eyes downcast. "And… I'd rather it be me."

"Two votes for yes."

"Make it three," Jack said. The four kids glanced at him in surprise, and he glared at them. "We have a truce, so I get to vote. I don't mind losing a Halo buddy if it means we get back home faster."

"Dang, you got real heartless real fast," Emma muttered.

"You expected somethin' different?" Clay asked dryly.

"I do not want to make the trade! That might not even be Kimiko!" Omi protested, bringing to mind Jack's Chameleon-Bot.

"Clay?" Raimundo asked, glancing at the Texan. He gulped, looking around the group.

"Ah…" he fiddled with his hat, mind racing. "Ah say…"

"One minute left, children!"

"Sorry Omi, four to one, now go," Raimundo said, pushing Emma towards King. She slapped his hands away, glowering at him.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'. Calm down." Raimundo did feel bad about throwing the girl to the wolves, so to speak, but between Emma and Kimiko he would always choose Kim. Clay watched with mixed emotions as Emma walked resolutely forward, stopping several feet away from King.

"I'm the beta. I'll come with you, just give back my friend."

"Done and done," he replied, smiling broadly. "I knew you'd do the smart thing," he added, glancing at Raimundo. "You remind me of myself as a young man." Raimundo shuddered, and hoped that he had made the right decision. King let go of Kimiko, and the first thing she did was pull the duct tape off her mouth. She and Emma passed each other, pausing to speak briefly.

"Kimiko, the women here have something great going on," Emma muttered, glancing back at the group of desert people watching in silence. "Help 'em out. They need a confidence boost, and you're the girl for the job."

"Will do. There are two girls, Autumn and Lydia, who are organizing a rebellion. Blow the roof off the place when we get back to jailbreak you, okay?" Emma's eyes lit up and her smile became substantial, and Kimiko smiled in return.

"That's enough chit-chat!" King barked, and the girls kept walking. Emma joined King's side, looking back at her friends. Raimundo had embraced Kimiko, who was on the verge of tears. Jack was edging away from the couple, and Omi was watching curiously. Clay glanced at her for a moment, and she smiled at him. He looked away again, pulling his hat over his eyes, and her smile faltered.

"It's a shame they had to come with you," King sighed, drawing the Irish girl's attention away from her friends. "Had you come alone, you would have been whisked off to Knightfall without all this questing nonsense. Ah well. What's done is done. And you're in the best of company now, so don't be so glum!" he added, smiling cheerfully.

"… Gee, thanks," she monotoned, but King simply ignored it and ushered her into the helicopter. She was shunted to the back to sit between to crates and piles of rope. The helicopter started up, and by the time the sand cleared, they were too far away to see the desert people anymore. Emma leaned against a crate, closing her eyes and hoping desperately she had done the right thing. She didn't know too much about good choices, seeing as she had never made very many, but it had seemed like one at the time. However, now that she was being taken further away from her only friends in the world, it seemed like a very bad decision indeed.

* * *

After a lot of hugging and crying and 'I missed you so much,' Kimiko stepped back and looked around. The boys had introduced her to Sheikh Hakim, and the caravan had started back up. She sat with some other girls, talking about what had gone on in her absence.

"The Cleric was wounded in battle," one of the girls began.

"The Healer said it was because he was trying to protect the Trickster M- Emma," a small girl added, smiling as though she had just divulged a particularly good secret.

"He doesn't seem very fond of her, though," a woman with a yellow scarf said. "He barely even looks at her."

"Well, Clay and Emma are… both strange, in their own ways," Kimiko said, trying to figure out how to explain their relationship or lack thereof. "She likes him but he doesn't exactly like her back. Well, either that, or the rule against relationships with non-Dragons is keeping him from doing anything about it."

"Enough about them! Tell us about the Huntsman you're in love with!" squealed a girl in red. The younger girls started clamoring for information, and Kimiko shook her head.

"Raimundo's my boyfriend, that's all," Kimiko explained. "I mean, love is a little extreme, since we only started dating, like, a month ago, but… he's a sweet guy. He's funny and smart and really talented… not to mention good-looking."

"Very true," laughed one of the older girls. "Are you going to help him liberate us?" asked one of the smaller girls, and the wagon fell silent.

"Of course I am," Kimiko replied, smiling kindly. "You all don't deserve to be out in the desert like this. I'm going to change some things, and the other Xiaolin Warriors are going to help!"

Little did she know that another person was thinking the same thing… but he meant it much differently.


	11. The Castle's Keepers

**The Castle's Keepers**

**A/N: Oh ho ho! Ladies and germs, here comes the subplots! Emma and Kimiko switching places, déjà vu, and not to mention setting the stage for King's real plan. Big chapter, this'un! Also, mostly centered around Emma, but most of the plot is taking place in the castle, so that's where we need to be. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer because I need one: I own this story and every character that doesn't belong to Christy Hui. Enjoy!**

Emma yawned and opened her eyes drowsily. She felt exhausted and drained and in need of a shower. Also, her left hand was asleep. She often felt like this after waking up- one of the many joys of insomnia- but this time it was different. She sat up and looked around. Her glasses were gone, but she could still see fine. She sat on a bed in a small room painted fire engine red, with one long window across from the door. Her bed was under the window, just a few feet away from a wooden door. The room was bare except for a bookshelf and a plush chair, both looking like they hadn't been used in a while. Pale light filtered in through the window, and Emma stood on the bed to peer out. The sky was white with clouds, but she couldn't make out any land, so she figured she was high up. Getting off the bed and wincing as her joints popped, she tried to open the door. No luck. It was locked, and the girl put her ear to the door. She couldn't hear anything, not even breathing- no guard. Emma grinned and put a finger to the lock. "_**Houdini**_," she murmured, her voice splintering into three and echoing hauntingly around the tiny room. There was a soft click, and, grinning triumphantly, Emma opened the door. A darkened hallway rounded a corner, and, steeling her nerves, she set off.

* * *

Omi sat between Kimiko and Clay in a huge circle. It was nearing nighttime, and the desert people had put up their camp. Now a fire roared in the center of the circle, and an old man from the council stepped forward. "It is time to begin the story of our people," he rasped, and all the listeners fell silent. "In the Longago, and in the Long Longago, and in the lost times before that, the lands of our people were bountiful and full. We thrived there, and all was good. Our leaders were wise and under their rule, we were united and strong."

A younger man stood, and the old man sat down. Without skipping a beat, the young man continued. "Then came a time of darkness. Plague and beast fell upon our lands and our people, and we were weakened. Kingswar had come to our borders. We tried to fend him off, but his gearbeasts, souls of animals ripped from their corpses and fused into metal and wire, proved too strong. We succumbed, and King took our land as his own."

Another man stood up. "But between these times came the Great Devourer. The Great Devourer was neither animal nor beast, but a spirit chained to this world by its sin. It could not continue into the worlds beyond, nor could it be tethered here forever. And so it roamed, preying through the endless days, and never sleeping by the darkness of night. His might was rumored to be so great that he could blot out the sun and devour the moon, and so he was named."

The medicine man stood, helped by an old woman. "The Great Devourer waged his war on all goodness in the world, targeting our fertile lands for destruction. Wherever he walked, crops failed, food spoiled, sickness raged, and the ground turned dry. Water turned into scalding lava, and ash blocked the light of the sun. With the life he stole, his strength grew."

"No one knows what drove away the Great Devourer, but one day, he vanished into thin air," muttered the Sheikh in a voice so angry it was almost unrecognizable. "Then King descended upon our lands the moment after, and we were too weak to defend ourselves. Our greatest leader- my father- was struck down by King's cruelty. We fell, and King banished us from our homeland, save a pilgrimage once a year to mock our scattered state."

A very young man, maybe only a few years older than Raimundo, stood. "We pass over the Plain of Bones to remind us the price of trying to rebel against King's dominion. He took the cadavers of our people, taken by the Great Devourer and by his merciless conquest, and filled Drought Canyon with them. Their bones keep fresh the horrors of war in our minds, and so we do not strike back." This part seemed directed at the Xiaolin Warriors, who glanced at each other in surprise.

Another old man stood, his face creased with sadness. "There is no way for us to reclaim our lands. We can only keep safe our traditions, and try to keep safe our children. Our numbers grow fewer and fewer each year, like a stone the ocean beats against. Soon, we will be no more, and all that will be left of the desert people will be a canyon full of bones, slowly turning to dust."

* * *

Dust. That was all Emma could think of as she sneezed again, rubbing her nose. It was as if no one had touched the corridor in years, and small clouds of dust were raised from the musty carpet with each footstep. She made her way through the labyrinthine passageways, following the cleaner ones until she emerged in a grid-like area. She realized that these hallways were meant for servants to move around the castle without disturbing it's occupants, and the ones she had been traveling through had fallen into disuse. Emma paused to let a group of boys carrying laundry baskets pass, and looked both ways. She was about to take a left when a wonderful and familiar aroma hit her nose: cake. Emma followed the smell, her stomach growling. Saloon-style doors parted for her as she entered a huge kitchen.

Her shoes thudded mutely on tile floors, as servants bustled about, each one in a flurry of motion and noise and smell. It seemed as though ten different dishes were being made at once, and Emma could feel her hunger gnawing at her stomach. She walked in, dodging bakers as they worked, dodging and weaving like she was back amongst the crowds of high school. She passed a row of ovens and the heat nearly melted her raygun, which she pulled closer to her as she walked by. Islands dotted the center of the kitchen like a spine, where chefs seemed immune to the rest of the kitchen's chaos as they worked, uninterrupted by anyone. She neared the back of the kitchen, noticing a pantry. Emma glanced around and saw that no one had noticed her yet. She slipped inside, closing the door behind her and beginning to look through the food. Most of it consisted of things like flour, sugar and wheat, but in a corner she found a box full of thick chocolate bars. Grinning, she dumped the box into her bag.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and a heavyset woman stood there, glaring. Emma gulped, realizing she had been literally caught red-handed. The woman stormed over, grabbing Emma's wrist and yanking her out of the pantry.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing in there?" she roared, attracting the attention of some of the nearby servants, who stopped what they were doing to watch. "I should take you to King for stealing his food! But he's a busy man and we have our own punishments here, and if you're new enough to steal you're new enough to learn 'em."

"But I don't work here!" cried Emma, trying futilely to pull her hand away from the dark-skinned woman's iron grip.

"Oh ho! So you're even more of a thief, eh?" she bellowed, slamming Emma's hand down on a cutting board. "Then you get the normal punishment for thieves!" At this point, the entire kitchen had quieted, watching the spectacle unfold. The woman raised a butcher knife, and Emma thought fast. The blade came down, and-

"I'm the Joker!" The woman stopped just centimeters above Emma's hand, and the Irish girl let out a relieved sigh.

"You're the Joker?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"Yes! King traded Kimiko for me, and I woke up in a strange room and I didn't know what else to do, and I was hungry, that's all!" Emma said, managing to tug her hand away now that the woman had released her grip. "I swear I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I was just hungry."

The woman stared at her for a moment, and the rest of the kitchen did too. Emma could feel their eyes boring into her. Then the woman turned around to face the kitchen. "Listen up!" she barked, and everyone's posture became perfect. "This here's the one we heard about, so you get her what she needs, understand? And if I catch _anybody _snitchin' to King, I'll give you what he would and worse!" Everyone in the kitchen murmured their assent, nodding or glancing at one another. The woman nodded approvingly, then glared at the congregation. "Well? I didn't say stop working. Back to it!" The kitchen shifted once more into full gear, and everyone resumed what they were doing as though nothing had happened.

"Sorry about all that," the woman said, turning back to Emma, who suddenly felt incredibly indebted to the woman, though she hadn't done anything wrong. "The name's Marian Roe, but around here everybody calls me ma'am. Don't be fooled- King's got the whole world under his thumb, but I'm what keeps his castle runnin'," she said proudly, crossing her arms. "And should anybody wanna rebel in it, well, I'm the one what's gonna make sure it happens!"

"So… you'll help me?" Emma asked, astonished.

"'Course! You think I like havin' that windbag as head of the castle?" She shook her head, dismayed at the thought. "No missy, I'd rather take orders from the Great Devourer itself! The old leader, now, she was much better at runnin' things. Never tried to take over all the lands, just let her people be and kept peace with all the others."

"Who was the old leader?" Emma asked. But before Marian could answer, the kitchen doors burst open, and two servant boys ran in, panting.

"King wants the Trickster Mage!" one called, stilling the kitchen once more.

"Ah, you'd best go now," Marian said, patting Emma on the back. Well, it was a pat to her, but to Emma it was like a shove. "Good luck, and if you ever need anything, the castle's keepers will always be at your back."

"Thank you, ma'am," Emma said, shooting her a thumbs-up before running out the door. One of the servant boys, not the one who had spoken, caught up with her.

"I'll show you where King is," he said, and Emma gave an embarrassed grin.

"Eh-heh… right, thanks." She glanced back towards the kitchen, where she could hear Marian barking orders. A small, hopeful smile worked its way onto her face, and she began following the servant boy.

King sat on a black throne, a golden crown on his head and a red cape draped over his shoulders. Emma gulped, all courage gone. She never had been much of a Gryffindor. "Well, it's nice to finally have a suitable Joker," the King said cheerfully, as though the hall wasn't lined with guards. "And I'm told you're a witch as well as a Trickster Mage! This will go excellently." It seemed as though he was talking to himself more than Emma, which just helped convince her he was crazy.

"Hi, yeah, um, what's gonna go excellently?" she asked. King glanced down at her as though he'd just noticed she was there.

"My plan. Of course, it was always going to go well, but you've sealed the deal!" he cried, smiling at her. "Though I must admit, it's been quite a bit of trouble getting you here," he added, his voice turning venomous.

"Well, um… easy come, easy go, so, vice versa?" Emma offered, backing up just a little. How fast could those guards move in their suits of armor, and how far was it to the exit? She could probably sprint for it if she could just distract King…

King laughed. "Excellent point! In that case, I'd best get someone to show you around, hmm? Prince!" he barked, and a boy standing beside him jumped. Emma hadn't noticed the boy before, and she felt a surge of pity towards him as King ordered him to get the girl acquainted with the castle. "Your loyalty, of course, is to me," King added, glancing at Emma again. She shrunk back, feeling like a mouse in front of a lion. "Should it waver, well… you _can_ be replaced." Emma nodded rapidly, ashamed of herself for caving in so quickly. She should be arguing, being a real heroine, standing up for all the oppressed people… but she was too scared. So she let the boy lead her out of the hall, staring numbly at the floor.

"I'm sorry about my father." A crisp British accent jolted Emma out of her stupor, and she took another look at the boy. He was tall, probably a year or two older than her, with blue eyes and blonde hair pulled back into a short ponytail. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt and black pants, but there was really nothing extraordinary about him. "He can be a bit, ah, temperamental at times."

"Umbra's your dad?" was the first intelligible thing that came out of Emma's mouth. She mentally kicked herself, but the boy didn't seem to notice. He shrugged, blushing slightly.

"Well, yes. I'm Prince," he said, smiling weakly. His tone wasn't commanding like King's; it was timid and uncertain. Though he was taller than her, he seemed very uncomfortable. The Irish girl stood straighter, crossing her arms and tilting her head.

"Prince, huh? Is that really your name?" she asked. "'Cause you look kinda like a Nathaniel. Or an Alexander."

"William is my given name, but nobody calls me that," murmured Prince, turning redder.

"Will." A grin broke out on Emma's face. "Will! I like it." Then she glanced at the door they had left from and, in a more hushed tone, asked, "Can I call you Will, or is that not allowed?"

"No! Th-that is, no, I'd like that," he said. Suddenly, he remembered why he was talking to the witch in the first place. "Oh, right! I'm supposed to show you around."

"Then let's go!" Emma chirped. Will walked down the hall and Emma followed, and he began to explain where they were and where they were going. Emma's room was just as she suspected- an old servant's room, used as a temporary place to keep her until she could be trusted. Apparently, her being the Joker was not reason enough for King to trust her, though she could hardly blame him. She'd been less than trustworthy in the past, though she didn't know how King could possibly know that. "So, why does King need me?" she asked. "Does it have anything to do with the knights being named after card suits?"

"Yes," Will replied, stopping outside a metal door that looked like the hatch on a bank vault. "This will answer your questions, I think." He twisted open the hatch and the door swung open. Emma stepped inside, and Will followed, shutting the door behind him. Emma found herself on a catwalk 50 feet above the floor, where scientists buzzed around an obsidian monolith. She grabbed the handrail by instinct, trying not to look down.

"This answers none of my questions," she squeaked, pushing away the mental images of plummeting to the ground and trying not to hyperventilate. Will noticed her distress.

"Don't worry, this is very sturdy." When she didn't budge, he took her other hand and began pulling her along the catwalk. She followed, resisting the urge to go down. "See? Just a little further and there's a staircase." Emma's breathing slowed down some, and she let Will take her to the staircase. Then he let go of her hand and she made her way down the spiral staircase by herself. By the time they reached the bottom, color had returned to her face, though she still seemed a little shocked. "I didn't think you'd be afraid of heights," Will admitted.

"I'm fine with heights," Emma replied, wiping her forehead. "It's the falling I'm afraid of." Will laughed good-naturedly, and Emma would have smiled if she hadn't seen the container behind the obsidian oval. She gaped, and Will realized what she was looking at.

"Ah, yes!" he said, eyes lightning up. "That's the best part of the tour." In a massive glass container reaching from floor to ceiling, something roiled and swirled, like a massive cloud of liquid smoke. Lines of red oozed amongst the living shadow that looked like magma bleeding from the mouth of a volcano. The creature inside roared, it's screech muffled by the glass, but the very sound chilled Emma to the bones. It was deep and primordial and angry, and she felt an instinctive fear of whatever was in the container. It had no definitive form, but kept straining at the walls, unable to break out. As it surged inside the glass, Emma scrambled against the far wall, her face draining again.

"What is that?" she cried.

"Don't be afraid, it can't get out," Will said, somehow unfazed by the mass of seething blackness behind the glass. "That," he said proudly, extending one arm towards it, "is the Great Devourer itself!"

"The what?" Emma squeaked, her voice getting higher.

"The Great Devourer consumed all life in the land until my father stopped it," Will explained. "Had my father not come along, the Great Devourer would have continued to deplete the land of every living thing. He ended it's reign or terror and set up a better government, where he can make sure nothing bad happens to the land."

"A monarch trying to keep a country under their control," Emma muttered. "Now where have I heard that one before? Oh, right, US History."

"What?"

Emma sighed. "Nevermind." She stood up straight, albeit shakily, and looked between Will and the beast. "What did it even come from?"

"It's…" After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, the boy leaned in and murmured, "a deleting program."

Realization dawned on Emma's face. "Of course," she said, nodding. "We're in a computer game, so should someone try and destroy it, they would use a deleting program! But I guess time runs differently here, and there would be so much data to get rid of… so it would seem like minutes in the real world, and years in here," she surmised, pleased with herself for finding the answer. Then she frowned, facing Will again. "But… who would want to delete the game?"

"Come here," Will said, looking around again. "There are too many people here for us to speak freely." He walked back up the staircase and Emma followed, not looking down. She did, however, look back at the mass of liquid shadow as it churned away in the container, screaming in fury. For a moment, something that might have been a glowing red eye slid down to the center of the container, staring at the girl. She shuddered and turned away, racing up the steps. The eye disappeared back into the murk, but the witch could still feel it's burning gaze. She feared it more than ever.

**I just wanna let you guys know, the amount of support I get for this story, and all my other stories, is incredible. Not a day goes by when I don't check my email first thing getting home. Seeing review alerts just makes me day. :)  
****Emma: With all that mush in mind, review so the next chapter'll get posted nice and fast! I wanna know what happens!**


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